Shifting Focus and Budgeting WHYs

Shifting Focus and Driving a New DirectionIf you ask anyone if they want to succeed in life, I bet every single person will say "Yes" but more than 75% of those people will focus on failing or why they aren't succeeding and in turn fail. Sounds strange, they all said they wanted to succeed, why didn't they?  

Because of their focus.

Negativity is common place and usually has a more emotional impact on us and what we are doing versus succeeding.  I've been reading "Stomp the Elephant in the Office" by Steven W. Vannoy and Craig W. Ross. It is one of the best books I've read to date about leadership and business culture.

Take this example about Negativity begets Negativity.  Often we get caught up in what isn't working versus what is working.
 
It is Monday Morning, 8:40AM and you are late driving to the office. Traffic is heavy. You go to take a sip of coffee. Brake lights ahead of you. You slam on the brakes, coffee goes everywhere. Your day ruined before it even starts.

If that sounds like a morning you have had, we all would shout "I should have gotten up earlier".  Right, but at every turn of this story, the driver could have changed one thing and had a different outcome.  Shiffiting the focus at each action can result in a better outcome.  We don't get "Do Overs" but we can always change the next action.

Jeff Mendelsohn

liquid@liquidmechanix.com  

Budgeting for WHY This is the last week of September, the last days of the third quarter, fall is officially here, and plans for 2012 are in the making! During this month, we have talked about budgeting - mostly about how to budget and the feelings around budgeting. Now we will bookend these conversations between WHY and ACCOUNTABILITY. The reasons WHY to budget for a business are: 1. Plan for the future (grow, sell, retire) 2. Provide a financial game plan to match your business plan 3. Know where the money is going and why 4. Stop reckless, random or duplicate spending 5. Reduce surprises that cause stress - you know that quarterly bill you always forget? I could go on about WHY budget, but in the end, you either will or you won't and those that don't often wonder WHY there are more days at the end of the month than there is money. Now, on the Accountability end of a budget, I have a coffee mug that says "How can I be out of money, I still have checks?" a saying I've heard at the end of many a joke and I think eventually it will be an antique as fewer and fewer paper checks are really written. The point is simple. . . . . .Being accountable means comparing the actual to the expected.  Accountability can be accelerated by finding an accountability partner - someone in your firm, maybe your accountant, or your board of advisors that you regularly say  "This is what we said we were going to do and this is what we did." The discipline of budgeting often leads to the freedom from stress and more money in your bank account - not bad for something most people say they don't like to do.  Here is hoping that your business will have a working budget next quarter. Linda Fayeweather Like us on Facebook   Tweet us at Twitter      Changing Lanes LLC PS.  October will be all about employees Stay tuned!