Coaching to Success

Our business is your success

General

ARE YOU ‘COMFY’ WITHIN YOUR BUSINESS? YOU MAY NEED TO STRETCH YOURSELF THEN!

When I heard that news about Neil Armstrong, may he rest in peace, I started to think about what he would have done had he simply sat back and said “You know what, I’m comfy doing what I do and I don’t think I’ll stretch myself to areas of the unknown”?

which then got me thinking about the fact that we’re still in difficult times out there, so let’s sit back and absorb the doom and gloom the media keep throwing at us… alternatively, we could always ‘stretch ourselves’ out of our own ‘Comfort Zone’ and now IS the time to take those risks as others are doing as they will be the ones to succeed. Darwin once said “It is not the strongest that survive but the one most responsive to change”. Okay, we’re talking the greater concept of evolution here but, nonetheless, the same principles apply to our businesses, jobs, career path and decisions in our own lives too!

Change is always imbued with danger of the unknown, but it doesn’t need to be that scary a place to venture.

Consider these points…

Take small steps first:

  • Pick up the phone, call someone you haven’t spoken to for some time a lost customer/client.
  • If you’re inclined to let others have a debate and not contribute for fear of your point not being valued, push yourself and let it be known.
  • Review what you know then learn a new skill.

 

Medium sized steps:

  • At Networking events or gatherings, go up to someone, actually, 5 someones you have never met before and introduce yourself… quick tip here though is ask them about what they do before spouting out about everything you do!
  • Take the reins and actually go for that job, project or relationship.

 

Take a Gigantic step(s):

  • Go and present to a company of which is outside of your experience or knowledge.
  • Learn to deal with failure (to quote another well-known individual, Thomas Edison… I have not failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work)
  • Contact an expert in your field and specifically ask them for an endorsement or even an interview.

Personalities are affected by our comfort zone and those who have the confidence to step outside of their own prisons are normally those considered to be highly successful as they inevitably seem to accomplish what they set out to achieve.

Our comfort zones are a mental condition to impede moving into the unknown and consequently act as a sense of mental boundaries of which we stay confined and hide behind curtains of excuses for not being able to move forward. To step out of it, we have to adopt new behaviours, new beliefs and this does affect each and every one of us differently.

Coaching to Success have helped people confront un-acceptable situations at work, to create a new business in these times of austerity and succeed, teams to bond well together increasing the output two fold over the sum of the individuals alone and even someone who not only had to give a speech but to create and deliver a wedding speech!! Anyone can accomplish anything they desire… it’s taking the first step outside of your own confinement that’s the difficult one! Start by taking small steps, then push your own boundaries and with each success, comes the reward of self-propulsion to move up the gear.

Coaching can help you, motivate you and support you through these transitions and if this is an area you are unsure of or feel you would benefit from, take that first step by speaking to someone new and pick up the phone to call us to arrange a free consultation on how we can help, contact Neil (07761 187238) or throw us an email at info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk… We’re here to help.

DANNY BOYLE CERTAINLY CHANGED THE WAY OF NORMALITY!

Although a lot of the world may not completely understand what Danny Boyle was doing concerning the great representation of our honourable history, the visual effects were outstanding in their own right but, nonetheless, he did something quite risky and away from the safer normality of how the Olympics are opened and IT WORKED!

This is by way of a tenuous link to what has been mentioned before in as much as that if you stay on the same path that you’re on now, you will inevitably end up at the same location. Sometimes you need to break the mould and do something a bit drastic. In other words, if you’re not satisfied with the way your current life is going, the lack of impetus in getting new clients, business is reducing rather than increasing, your team are simply not working together etc, the likelihood is that you need to change the way you currently do things.

You could argue that it’s outside situations or events that are influencing your outcome, to a degree we wouldn’t argue but if you just accept that without stepping out of your comfort zone to try something different or new… things WILL NOT improve.

Quite a harsh statement made there and this now leads on how you can look to where you are now and where you’re heading. A great tool for this is the ‘Cartesian Quadrant’ and although simplistic in its nature, it has quite powerful outcome with regards the way it gets you to take a step back and assess where you are.

As a coach, we would delve into some of the areas with incisive questions, digging deeper than the obvious, thus getting you to really think and that’s an area we can discuss should you so wish, in the meantime, play around with it yourself and once you get the buzz for where this could lead you, give us a call then… here it is:

Draw a large square box and then divide this in half first horizontally then vertically so you now have a block 2×2 squares. Along the top, on the left write “If I DO make a change” and above the squares to it’s right, write “If I DON’T make a change”. Moving to the left and adjacent to the top square, write “What WOULD happen” and next to the bottom row “What WON’T happen”. So in the top left square you can write your answers to the question “What WOULD happen If I DO make a change”… you’ll get the idea from here.

If there is an area that you wish to change but are unsure of how to get there… do not hesitate in picking up the phone to call us to arrange a free consultation on how we can help, contact Neil (07761 187238) or throw us an email at info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk… We’re here to help.

WELL, IT’S LIKE THIS, WHAT I DO IS… OH, IS THIS YOUR FLOOR, BYE THEN!

Probably most of you know this as ‘The Elevator Speech’ simply due to the lack of time you have to get your message across. It’s rarely used in such a situation but more at functions and soirees, it’s a time indicator and the limited time between floors to make an instant impression is a good comparison. Here are a few tips…

You need to be succinct in your reply when someone enquires as to what you do, a 20-30 second intro is what you have and you really need to make the most of it! So it needs to be…

  • Interesting
  • Succinct and
  • Memorable

 

… As well as putting a ‘unique’ edge on it so you stand out from others within your industry. It’s also useful to have two or three prepared and slotted into your memory so you can call upon the most appropriate one according to your situation. So how do you create one? Consider these areas…

  • PURPOSE – What are you looking to accomplish by offering your pitch.
  • SOLUTION – Explain what you do and the Benefits that you/your organisation can offer (ie “We help people’s confidence by giving them the perfect smile” from a Dentist for example). Give a solution but leave the question ‘How’.
  • USP (Unique Selling Proposition/Point) – What makes you different from every other company in your business sector?
  • QUESTION – Follow this on by asking a question of them relating to an answer that will connect with your business.
  • MOULD TOGETHER – Put it all together in one succinct delivery and practice out loud, how long was it? Remember 20-30 seconds is what you’re aiming for, it’s amazing how we can go well over that when we’re not prepared! Take out the waffle, technical or informative bits aren’t of any interest until later.

 

As an example, let’s take a company who has a logistics business with software that calculates the best options for a fleet of vehicles… “My company reduces fuel consumption and driver overhead costs. By means of plotting out the most economic route for deliveries based on time and location. Our client’s managers can then concentrate on other ways to run their operation more smoothly while saving in excess of 20% off the bottom line. How does your organisation plot delivery routes”

This is not as simple as it sounds but if done correctly, can create interesting leads or links that you may have otherwise missed out on simply because you’ve lost the interest of the listener. If this stimulates a response where you feel you could still do with some additional support in this field or any other area we help you move forward on, Coaching to Success are here, just call Neil (07761 187238) to arrange a free consultation on how we can help.

Finally, what are your views on these blogs? Write a comment below and let us know, we always appreciate feedback on what we offer. Many thanks.

Under pressure? Top tips to be healthy and happy at work

Having just received the latest information from the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development … http://www.cipd.co.uk/) there was an interesting article about physical fitness affecting mental well-being according to NervePainTreatment.org website. Download the free leaflet and ‘top tips’ poster to get ideas for motivating staff.

As a devout believer in this principle, and one that I know has been the catalyst to the successes I’ve had as a result of clearer, sharper focus and doing away with the feeling of lethargy, I thought I’d share the article with you. Another tip to be healthy is to take some Kratom capsules, it will leave your body feeling great, you can purchase yours at kratommasters.com.

I think it should have been originally printed on both sides of an A4 or A3 pamphlet as the two middle pages should be next to each other, but you’ll get the idea.

Enjoy… I hope it proves to be of interest to you as it did to me.

LONG MAY WE BE LED!… AS WELL AS LEAD!

Whether a royalist or not, you can’t help but admire the way the queen has led not only the country but the commonwealth too.

We all know of and recognise great leaders but how do we become a great leader to those around us?

I was having a similar conversation with a friend over the weekend and there’s a clear difference between ‘Leadership’ and ‘Management’. Management is the process or method; it’s all about getting things done. Leadership is about getting others to do what’s needed. Leaders don’t simply instruct, they motivate and inspire.

There are no coaching answers that can be applied universally because, like leadership itself, it is all about individuals rather than tasks. One of the most simple and effective models enjoys the acronym ‘I CAN DO’.

I = Intention, a clear statement of what is to be achieved in simple terms

 

C = Current situation, defined in facts rather than opinions

A = Aims, simple ‘chunked down’ exact definition of next outcome

N = Numbers, to quantify the outcomes compared with the present situation

 

D = Date, this is the date by which the outcomes will be realised

O = Outcome, the way that you will know your intention has been achieved

 

Think of a situation in your own environment where there is a constant source of annoyance that adversely impacts on your efficiency, productivity or bottom line profits. Consider the options open to your team within the ‘I CAN DO’ model.

A simple method but one that can have real positive outcomes! And a simple blog this time round with the intention of helping you to think about Leadership in a different light. If this stimulates a response where you feel you could still do with some additional support, Coaching to Success are here, just call Neil (07761 187238) to arrange a free consultation on how we can help. What are your views on these blogs? Why not let us know… neil.nutburn@coachingtosuccess.co.uk, Many thanks.