Small Business Guide - Small Business Resources (Add to Favorites | View All Articles | Resource Directory) |
|
Increase Productivity and Business Success - Take Responsibility
Are you responsible for your results? What comes to mind when I say that? When you hear that you're totally responsible for the results you produce in your business and in your life---you might jump to a conclusion. You may think that I'm suggesting that you should take the blame for your results. Nothing could be further from the truth. By taking responsibility for your results and your outcomes--- you grant yourself great power. If you acknowledge that you're truly responsible for the way your projects end ---good or bad--- you give yourself great power. You can use this newly discovered power to make your projects end up another, possibly more desirable way. Before I go on, let's agree on a few things. The first agreement: The results you produce are determined by your choices and your actions. Second agreement: A lot of people look upon failure as a bad thing. What if there was an optional way, a more productive way to view a failure? I believe that failure isn't really as much about failing as we might believe. I'd like you to think of failure as a success. You don't fail. You are successful at reaching an outcome 100% of the time. Here is a question that will help shift the traditional mindset. Is the result you produced the result you had intended to produce or was the result unplanned? I want you to start looking at failure in a new light. I want you to start thinking of failure as a process that generates unplanned results. Using that definition you can begin to view your results as a stepping stone to greater success. This shift in thinking will provide you with the chance to change the choices and/or the actions that are producing your unplanned results without making yourself feel like you've been doing something wrong. Here is a story I use to illustrate the point. The genius inventor, Thomas Edison had performed more than thousand, unsuccessful experiments while on his mission to create the electric light bulb. Edison was asked, "How were you able to continue with your experiments after encountering so many failures?" Edison replied, "I did not look at the unsuccessful attempts as failures, but rather as a thousand ways not to make a light bulb." He took responsibility for each outcome, made adjustments and continued on to success. For most people, the ability to take responsibility for unplanned outcomes and adjust accordingly calls for a new "skill set". You have to develop and exercise the "skill muscle" called responsibility. Focus on developing your "skill muscles". One way to develop these "skill muscles" is to pattern your results oriented behaviors after the model for Effective Communication. Effective communicators know their outcome and state it in the positive. In other words they focus on what they want versus what they don't want. Effective communicators have the awareness to know whether they are moving away from or towards that desired outcome. Effective communicators have a flexibility of choice and action that allows them to make a course correction, especially if what they were doing was producing unplanned results. As your "skill muscles" grow stronger your ability to achieve your desired outcomes more easily and more often will emerge. Your ability to communicate effectively with yourself and with others will grow proportionately. Be ready and willing to ask yourself, "For what parts of the project am I willing to take responsibility?" In addition, I suggest that you stop taking things as seriously as you have been. That is not meant to imply that what you're up to is not serious. It's just that life is serious enough without making it more so. Remember that life is an adventure over which we have little control. We make choices, we take action and we play the game the best we can. Being enlightened is the best mindset to have when you play the game. So--- keep in mind that the greatest pathway to enlightenment is to--- Lighten up. Remember to--- Play the game, take responsibility and lighten up. "Angels fly because they take themselves lightly." -G.K.Chesterson � 2005 Ian Krieger Ike Krieger is the founder of BusinessSuccessBuilder.com. He is a nationally known business language expert, mentor, speaker, radio and TV talk show host, educator and author. He is a former communications instructor at Ohio State University. He has served as business makeover specialist for the LA Times and writes for the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. He is the current Chairman of the Board of the North San Fernando Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce. Ike's business success builder programs have helped thousands of entrepreneurs, executives, salespeople, consultants and professionals get an even bettershot at networking, selling and business success. Ike can be reached at 800-700-4334 or by e-mail at [email protected]. BusinessSuccessBuilder.com. Build it Big, Build it Bigger! http://www.businesssuccessbuilder.com 818-997-7575 - 800-700-4334
MORE RESOURCES: News provided by Yahoo! News and Google News Pair launch equity crowdfunding platform for small-biz owners - Crain's Detroit Business Small Business Q&A: Peter Cosgrave, CPL Recruitment Small Business Economy Continues To Grow Modestly Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Hosts Speed Coaching for Phoenix's Small Business Community GST red tape hurting business, economy The Credit-Card Survival Kit Your Small Business Needs (Infographic) |
RELATED ARTICLES
Routine Maintenance of High Pressure Hot Water Motors If you run a pressure washer business you need complete uptime on your equipment, break downs can be costly if your billing rates are $100 to $150.00 per hour. Are You Ready to Own and Operate a Business? How often has someone thought of starting a business based solely on the fact they think it will be easier than working for someone else. Fact is, owning and operating a business can be one of the most grueling experiences you will have. Self-Confidence doesn't happen - it is acquired At first blush this idea might be difficult to wrap your brain around. That's because you've been taught that self-confidence is achieved through mastery of knowledge or skills. Reclaim Equipment Detailing Industry and NPDES, EPA, Storm Water Rules It behooves every professional mobile auto detailer to stay up with the reclaim equipment necessary to comply with the NPDES, EPA and storm water rules. Every company has a responsibility to not pollute the water supplies. Staying afloat until your business turns a profit How many "get rich schemes" have you joined? Or have you invested in numerous legitimate business endeavors only to have them not work for you? Have you started you business and now facing a complete shut down? Do you consider yourself a failure? Are your loved ones pressing you to give up?Risk-taking is a large part of entrepreneurship, in fact it is what drives it, and it's why so many people avoid small business, despite its many potential rewards. Those of us who have tried it only to have failed may find ourselves right back where we started, which could leave us feeling like total failures. Postcard Marketing - Low Cost Visibility You need to be visible to attract customers, right? But how do you get that visibility when you're short on cash? Here's an idea that's worked for many businesses. It's postcard marketing, and it's very affordable. Private Franchising is not Real a Real Franchise One major issue not being addressed right now in the regulatory definitions which guide consumers and lawyers in business opportunities and franchising is the new term being used; Private Franchising. The Federal Trade Commission decided it would revise its definitions of such opportunities in 1995, but failed to address this issue. How to Manage Your Pipeline How is your pipeline structured?I assume most of you have heard about the sales pipeline. Your pipeline is what keeps your business going. Finding a Venture Capital Firm Many ventures are faced with the challenging task of raising venture capital. The first part of this process is finding the right venture capital firm (VC). Pressure Washing of Paving Equipment and The EPA Many pressure washing companies will be glad to take on additional work when a company calls them up to come and wash, but the days of cleaning asphalt compactors, steamrollers, paving equipment with diesel fuel are gone forever. If you are caught doing it the old fashioned way it's a $1,000 fines in the United States, fist offense and you pay for cleanup. Why The Carwash Industry is Stagnant; What You Can Do to Change Your Field Many years ago, I had warned the carwash industry of problems brewing in customer dissatisfaction as we continued to grow our car wash company into a National Franchise Chain. I warned of environmental controls, speed of wash, water usage, quality of labor, price points, car wash fundraisers, car damage, up selling and hot wax. 11 Things Small Business Owners Can Learn From The Supreme Court 1. Have A Strong Constitution - Justices deliver decisions by interpreting the U. Small Business And The Ability To Find Market Place Opportunities Marketing is one of the four corner-posts of a solid business. Knowing a few marketing tricks is great, but to be really successful you must be able to assess market place opportunities. North County San Diego Small Business North County San Diego has had some significant growth, and it appears to be a wonderful place to run a business. It has a strong middle class upward bias and plenty of opportunity and employment. Treat everything you do as a project Do you operate your business as a series of projects, using project management tools and skills to advance your projects from conception to completion? Or perhaps you're new to project management tools and skills and haven't considered applying them to your own business? Most of us fall somewhere in between.Running a productive and efficient business, whether for one person or for 500, is a series of projects of various sizes and complexity. Starting your first business - some sound advice It seems so long ago that I started my first business. Since that time, I've created several successful businesses and learned a lot of lessons along the way. 1 Overlooked Key to Small Business Success Is this you?You dreamed of owning your own business, doing what you love and enjoying unlimited earning potential. You researched. How To Create A Business Note That Is More Attractive To A Note Investor You are selling your small business (business value under $1 million for this article). You would like the buyer of your business to come in with an all-cash offer, or be able to qualify for an SBA guaranteed loan. If You Want to Work from Home Here are some important points to take note of if you want to work from home. working from home is a dream occupation for many people, but only a few of us will dare to trudge that path. Truck Detailing Shop Business Case Study As an entrepreneur you can learn a lot by following the real life case studies of other entrepreneurs. Often the text books in school leave out the beginning details and the juicy part of how it all comes together and is created out of nothing but a thought. |
Home | Site Map | Privacy Statement | More Articles |
© 2006 |