People ... your ultimate leverage in business

Many times I hear of business owners with a large number of staff who revert back to one or two people plus themselves.  The reason for downsizing is often because of the problems associated with employing people. 

With no systems and no processes, as the number grows so do the problems.  All the while there is ever-present Fair Work Act telling you what you can and you can't.

The answer lies in your Systems!

The best way to manage anything in a business is to have documented systems.  The ONLY way to manage people is to have documented systems.

Documented systems ensure your people know what is expected of them.  I remember working with a large landscaping company.  Their people documentation was so good that new employees would say "I know more about the job I am going to do for you than the one I am doing for your competitor, and it is exactly the same job!"

If you want to work through a checklist of systems and processes to ensure your business is a 'best practice' employer, come to the Finding and Keeping the Right People Workshop advertised below.

Remember, good HR (Human Resource Practices) minimises your exposure to IR (Industrial Relations Action).

If you would like to learn about the true value of your human capital and how to make it work for you, come along to the Brightwater "Finding & Keeping the Right People" workshop ... Details are below:

Date: Tuesday 17th September at 5.15 for 5.30-7.30pm

Where: Westpac Milton

Cost: Complimentary for 2 people

How: Call Brightwater Business Coaching on 07 3367 0967 for further details

Anthony Davis

Symptoms of Uncertainty

Certainty is one of the main characteristics that a Business Owner must have, in order to build a successful business.  Without it, clients and team members will have great difficulty in trusting the recommendations presented to them.

Here are some general symptoms of Business Owners who lack certainty:

Ø  Find it hard to ask for money;

Ø  Reduce their price at the first inkling from a prospect;

Ø  Uncomfortable giving strong recommendations;

Ø  Afraid to tell people what they need to hear;

Ø  Uncomfortable in self-promotion;

Ø  Clients don’t refer;

Ø  Do the work themselves instead of delegating;

Ø  Have problems sleeping at night;

Ø  Feel burnt out;

Ø  Not thriving and having the success they desire.

By defining who you are as a Business Owner, knowing what you offer and understanding how to communicate what you deliver, you can begin to eliminate some or all of the above symptoms if they are present. 

Become clear about your values and identify what is truly important to you. (Minute 96) Take the time daily to elevate your level of certainty and watch your business grow!

Adapted Practice Pointer from Powerful Practices.

Take 3 Hours Every Week ...

Michael Gerber, in his book “The E-Myth”, differentiates between working IN and ON your business.  For business growth and development you must allocate time every week to work ON your business.

The challenges are: how much time; and what to do in the time. 

If you are like most small business owners you work about 60 hours a week.  Take 3 hours each week … an investment of only 5%.   This then becomes 57 hours IN and 3 hours ON.  The real key is to allocate the same three hours every week.  This discipline will pay massive dividends over time.

To explain the difference between working IN and ON … the most potent “ON” is Business Planning … what it will: be like; look like; achieve; etc.

As a technician it is easy to see non-technical areas like marketing and financials as working ON.  In reality they are working IN … just a different IN to your technical training.

Other forms of “ON” are Systems Development and Monitoring the performance of KPIs to support you to make informed business decisions.

Start working ON your business by attending the Take 3 Business Workshop.  See the information below.

If you would like more information on Business Planning, Systems Development, Monitoring or KPIs, please send an email to bizplan@brightwater.com.au with the relevant topic in the subject line.

Anthony Davis 

Make Luck Happen

"Diligence is the mother of good luck." Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

Oxford Dictionary: noun: A chance considered as a force that causes good or bad things to happen; something regarded as bringing about or portending good or bad things.

Sam Parker: noun: a force that makes things happen.

If you want more luck you need to be the force that makes it happen ... for  you:

1. Prepare. Work hard to be ready for the opportunities that are important to you. Research. Practice. Perfect.
2. Be awake. Pay attention to the people, events, and things around you. Evaluate logically and trust your gut instinct.
3. Take action. Put yourself out there. Explore. Be vulnerable. Make contact with people. Take risks.
4. Expect positive results. Optimism improves your chances. If you fail, embrace the lesson and continue on, smarter.

Now go be lucky and make something good happen for you and those around you.

Watch this 1 minute video http://blog.givemore.com/nike-waking-us-up/  Use it as a great weekly boost and reminder of what it takes to make good things happen (hint: it's work).

Notated original from Sam Parker of GiveMore.com

If you would like more information on Luck in Business, please send an email to bizplan@brightwater.com.au with 'Luck in Business' in the subject line.

Anthony Davis

Your Workplace Culture ...

Your Workplace Culture ...

Workplace culture can be considered as:

“How your team perceives their working environment.”

Their attitude at work is influenced by the workplace itself which is usually determined by its leadership.

The catch 22 is that much of the workplace culture will also be determined by the employees hired and the tone that management sets. How you implement your unique small business culture in day-to-day operations can help to attract and retain talent and create a place where people enjoy being.

Good leadership promotes the positive attitudes of employees. A negative culture dampens the mood and results in absenteeism, dissatisfaction, lack of motivation and eventually resignation.

Managers who get the best from their teams inspire a positive workplace culture. Some of the positive influences include: Open management style; Regular feedback both good and bad; Clear goals set out; Fair and equal treatment; Achievements recognised and rewarded.

There are tools and processes you can use to assist you to define your Workplace Culture.  They include: Code of Conduct; Role Descriptions; Performance Indicators; Selection Process; Induction; Appraisals; Playing Team; Team Meetings; and Training.

If you would like a copy of any of the previous Business Boosts relating to the tools & processes  listed above, please send an email to bizplan@brightwater.com.au with the relevant tool/process name in the subject line.

Anthony Davis

The Pareto Principle ...

Named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who identified its applicability in a number of areas, the Pareto Principle suggests that roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

This Principle appears to impact upon many different aspects relevant to entrepreneurs and business managers. For example:

• 80% of your profits come from 20% of your customers
• 80% of your complaints come from 20% of your customers
• 80% of your profits come from 20% of the time you spend
• 80% of your sales come from 20% of your products
• 80% of your sales are made by 20% of your sales staff 

From these indicators it would seem that you could easily make dramatic improvements in profitability by focusing on the most effective areas and eliminating, ignoring, automating, delegating or retraining the rest, as appropriate.

For example, in the first point above, if you stop dealing with the 80% who give you only 20% of your profit (seems OK doesn’t it?) then what happens?  You have simply ‘raised the bar’ in your business and within a short period of time the 80/20 Rule will once again apply!

If you would like a copy of the previous Business Boosts relating to the Pareto Principle, please send an email to bizplan@brightwater.com.au with 'PARETO' in the subject line. 

Anthony Davis

Small Business Failure ...

According to a recent multiple choice survey of more than 1000 owners of Australian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the percentage of respondents and reasons identified for small business failure are:

Ø  61% an inability to manage costs;

Ø  50% inexperienced management;

Ø  50% poorly designed business models or no business plan;

Ø  49% insufficient capital;

Ø  37% poor or insufficient marketing;

Ø  35% insufficient time managing the books.

Only 26% identified failure to seek professional advice as a key reason for failure, while 70% trusted their ‘gut instinct’ over any professional advice.

The survey was published by accounting software provider CCH and global information services group Wolters Kluwer.  Chief Executive of Wolters, Russell Evans, told SmartCompany the majority of SMEs which shun professional advice were doing so possibly at their peril.

The Brightwater Business Development Program has been designed to address many of the issues outlined above.  If you have considered Brightwater Coaching in the past and are still to take the first step … call me on 1800 242 366 and ask what Coaching can do for you and your business.

Written by Anthony Davis

Failing Forward ...

In his book, Failing Forward, John Maxwell discusses how: 

"the difference between average people and achieving people

is their perception of and response to failure".

Here is a summary of the main 15 points:

1.    Realise there is one major difference between average people and achieving people;

2.    Learn a new definition of failure;

3.    Remove the 'you' from failure;

4.    Take action and reduce your fear;

5.    Change your response to failure by accepting responsibility;

6.    Don't let the failure from outside get inside you;

7.    Say good-bye to yesterday;

8.    Change yourself, and your world changes;

9.    Get over yourself and start giving yourself;

10.   Find the benefit in every bad experience;

11.   If at first you do succeed, try something harder;

12.   Learn from a bad experience and make it a good experience;

13.   Work on the weakness that weakens you;

14.   Understand there's not much difference between success and failure;

15.   Get up, Get going, Get over it.

Re-read through each of these points slowly. There is tremendous wisdom in these words! Major on what is important!

Written by Anthony Davis

Eliminating Incompletions!

Christy Donner, owner of Innovative Strategies, said that the key element in the concept of “eliminating incompletions" is to finish your unfinished business.

There are projects, relationships, and situations ‘unfinished’ which continue to consume personal energy. Energy is drained even when you are not thinking of the incompletion consciously. This could be as simple as: the dent in my car that I've been meaning to fix; the college degree I stopped short of getting; etc.

A clue that something might be an “incompletion” for you is having a feeling such as guilt, remorse, regret, shame, anger, denial or sadness. Look inside to see if any of these ring a bell. You are the only judge.

Incompletions show up in four areas in your life: physically, in relationships, in your surroundings, and in your financial affairs.

Once you eliminate incompletions, you'll see/feel an immediate burst of energy. As you do you are likely to experience more confidence, more time, fewer problems, and more opportunities.

Start by making a list of the incompletions in your life, and start chipping away at the list.

Anthony Davis

Day Planning!

Day Planning!

How often do you say that you are overwhelmed with all the tasks you need to do? Here are some simple steps you can take to help this situation.

The Quill ‘Day Planner’ journal, has these principles printed at the bottom of every page:

The Six Principles of Time Management

1. Create a daily list of tasks
2. Give each task a priority A, B, C
3. Ensure that you work on the ‘A’ tasks first
4. Handle each piece of paper on your desk only once
5. Ensure that you make the best use of your time
6. Don’t postpone anything – Do it now!

Now reread number “4”. Imagine if you actually handled each piece of paper on your desk ONLY ONCE!!!! This simple step can up-skill your organisation tremendously.

Surround yourself with tools that can support you. A checklist, a diary, a notice board, and a clear calendar are all very effective when used.

Discipline yourself with the above daily habits and you will decrease the amount of overwhelm you experience.  Jim Rohn said, “for every disciplined effort there is a multiple reward.” 

Anthony Davis

Delight Your Customer!

Marketers love to use the expression “Delight your Customer” … and what does it really mean?

 As a consumer how often are you “delighted” by the level of service you get?  Have you become so immune to average service that you don’t know or expect Awesome Service?

Your business has competitors all around competing for your customer’s attention and their dollars.  The best way to attract and retain loyal customers is to create ways to delight and amaze them.

So how far do you have to go?

Because so few businesses manage to delight their customers, you only need to start in a simple way.

Take the client who bemoaned the fact that, because of his tight cash situation, he couldn’t welcome new clients with Moet!  I suggested a nice quality Aussie bubble would still delight the new customer as it is unusual and none of his competitors does it.

Once you have established the ways to ‘delight’ your customers empower your entire team to carry it through and regularly review how you do it and be prepared to 'up the ante'.

Anthony Davis

Change the People or ... Change the People!

Change, for most people is a struggle. Consider this statement being used in a very large company about its people:

Change the People or … Change the People

When you think about it, the first Change is the best for the business and the team, if it can be achieved. It is likely that the person in question has value to add to the team in some way. If the Change that is desired can be effected, everyone wins.

Much of this ‘Change’ can be addressed by being very clear about what you require. Documents such as Code of Conduct and Role Descriptions and regular staff Performance Reviews or Appraisals will result in Change ... either of the two above!

Be aware of the Kiss/Kick Principle. When a Kick ("and this is very bad") regularly follows a Kiss ("you are doing this really well") the recipient is likely to become cautious of compliments and wait for the Kick to follow.

The Kick/Kiss principle is best so that a Kiss on its own is accepted for what it is.

Anthony Davis

Your Life's Purpose

Your Life's Purpose

Have you ever thought about your life's true purpose?

Having a purpose gives you a reason to get out of bed on those early mornings, to stay fit, to eat healthy and to put in that extra effort that can make all the difference.

Without a purpose, you may drift around. Your purpose is as individual as you are. It may be: to experience as many thrill seeking highs as you can in life; to serve others to your best ability in your chosen field; or, to simply be the best person you can be. Not only do most people not know what their purpose is today, it can change throughout their life.

So why are you involved in your business?

Until you sit down and really think about your purpose and what you want from life, then it's like playing darts without a dart board. It makes it pretty hard to hit the bulls-eye.

Being clear about your Life’s Purpose creates the opportunity for you to gather all of the skills and all of the support needed to get you to where you are going.

Anthony Davis

Australian Institute of Building Surveyors - Presentation Thanks

Anthony recently presented the topic "Live by Price ... Die by Price" at the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors Conference Chapter QLD/NT 2013. Their letter of thanks and appreciation can be read below:

How to Answer the Phone ...

The telephone is often the first opportunity you have to impress a new customer. As the saying goes “You only get one chance to make a good first impression”. How good and consistently is the phone answered in your business? Here are a few tips:

1. Answer the phone after the same number of rings each time;

2. Answer the phone the same way each time;

3. Develop a Phone Script and train your team to use it … every time;

4. Smile as you answer the phone – it costs nothing and transmits a message that you are pleased to talk to this person;

5. Look upwards as you answer the phone – it clears your airways and makes your speech sound more relaxed;

6. Listen well to the caller. If someone tries to distract you, ask the caller to wait so you can give them your undivided attention;

7. Repeat back to them important points of the conversation;

8. Wherever possible ask open-ended questions that can start with: what, who, where, when, how or why;

9. Always be positive even when delivering bad news.

 If you would like a copy of the Brightwater Phone Answering Work Instruction & Script, please send an email to bizplan@brightwater.com.au with 'PHONE' in the subject line. In addition, if you'd like a personal assessment of your phone answering style/script, include your phone number as well.

Anthony Davis

What's Possible?

Two recent Client examples have reinforced why we love doing what we do and the omnipotent power of you asking yourself the question “What’s Possible?” Are you the “cause” of your results or are they caused for or upon you?

The first Client believed they could not afford to engage Brightwater and did so anyway. They approached the Brightwater Program with a “What’s Possible” attitude. After 11 months of a 2-year program they wrote this testimonial:

“… we started this program being a little tentative towards the cost and benefit of the program … We now can say that after only 11 months in the program we have grown to the point that we are now generating additional income over 10 times the cost of the Brightwater Program each week.”

The second are retailers who had always conservatively set a 10% budget increase, year-on-year. After 6 months in the Brightwater Program, their “What’s Possible” attitude has them achieving a whopping 36+% increase over last year.

Consider the outcomes from taking responsibility for “What’s Possible” in your business. The prose below is highly appropriate.

Responsibility starts with the willingness to experience self as ‘cause’. It starts with a willingness to have the experience of yourself as ‘cause’ in the matter. Responsibility starts with the willingness to deal with the situation from and with the point of view, whether at the moment realized or not, that you are the source of what you are what you do and what you have. This point of view extends to include even what is done to you and ultimately what another does to another . Werner Erhard

To discover “What’s Possible” for you and your business, take advantage of a Complimentary 1 hour one-on-one Business Coaching session (in person or Skype).  Please send an email to bizplan@brightwater.com.au with 'What's Possible' in the subject line and we will contact you to make a time or call 1800 242 366 to make an appointment. (Available to the first 20 people to respond.)

** WIN a BUSINESS BOOST COACHING PACKAGE **

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Anthony Davis