Leading vs Managing
As small business owners, we often end up being both the leader of the company and the manager and quite frankly, very few people ever get to be "just a leader". One definition of the difference is that a leader has followers and a manager has subordinates.
Other than some charismatic leaders throughout time, most leaders we meet do have subordinates. Furthermore, most entrepreneurs are leaders and are great at getting people to follow, but managing is really the first step for entrepreneurs to build a salable business - and therefore, it either needs to be done or delegated.
According to Ken Blanchard and his parable "The Leadership Pill" we want to shift some of our thinking. These are some of the key ideas I found in the book:
• Leading is the opposite of control. Leaders are decisive, and realize that change is not something they can "make" someone do.
• Leadership is something you do with people, not too them.
• Integrity is a given. Leaders lacking integrity don't stay leaders long.
• Leaders share their plan or vision getting everyone on the same page (oh yea, maybe a one page business plan)
• Leaders refuel.
• Leadership is a process; one that gets everyone to the place they are supposed to go.
• Leaders provide praise and appreciation as deserved.
• Profit is the applause you get for taking care of your customers and creating a motivating environment for people.
Yes, there are born leaders, but as a business owner we owe it to our staff and to our self to make sure some of our time is devoted to leading. Starting with a plan that is SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely), will be a good place to put our mark on the future. Realizing that not all people can be lead will be a conversation for another Monday.
Copyright 2011 Linda Fayerweather MBA EA
2011 Three words: Implement-Lead-Relax
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
419-897-0528
linda@changinglanes.biz
Consider working with a coach or a MasterMind Team to make 2011 the year of your dreams!
The Slight Edge Plan (or The Make a Plan Plan)
I'm going to make a BOLD statement. Most people, in my experience, make a plan once a year, usually at the beginning of the year - and they do it with the full knowledge that they'll never revisit it, act upon it, or otherwise use it in any way. Why? Because a Plan is ONE thing; and what ONE thing we do, or don't do, probably won't kill us or our business, TODAY.
An example; part of our plan is to write a guest column for a monthly blog. Our deadline is the first of the month. We get busy and caught up in "work work" and don't make the first deadline. No big deal! It's only one month and we've got 11 more to make up for it. WRONG! Our plan is shot and we need to revisit it, make adjustments, and find ways to get the individual parts done.
But we don't. And we miss the next deadline for another part of it. And we decide, "Well, that didn't work". And we don't do another part, so we scrap the whole thing. Sound familiar?
Reading "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olsen has really opened my eyes to how success and failure can be compounded. Doing (or not doing) small actions CONSISTENTLY over time can make or break you.
So my solution to this dilemma is: The 6-Step Make a Plan Plan.
1. Write down your Goal - What is the BIG number you want here.
2. Look at it every Day - Morning and Night work best.
3. Set a Price - What is worth to you to achieve it? What is the penalty for not achieving it?
4. Make a Plan - What are the EXACT, SMALL steps to attaining what you want?
5. Tell somebody - Get an accountability partner or hire a Coach.
6. Take Action - Every day take a step in the direction of what you want.
Now go back and dust off The Plan you made at the first of the year and apply the six steps above to it. Send me an email on April 1st and let me know how you did.
Copyright 2011 Todd Pillars teaches business owners and sales professionals how to create a network of endless referrals, easier and faster than they ever thought possible. Contact him today at 419-855-2273 or todd@toddpillars.com. You can also find out more information about his Endless Referrals Workshops at http://www.toddpillars.com
