Coaching to Success

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Useful Blogs

‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ – Did Majestic Wine use these principles to increase their profits even though sales dropped?

It has been reported that Majestic Wine’s profits by £0.5m to £23.7m, whereas, their sales have fallen £5.9m to £274.4m, a drop of 2.1% … more profit from less work! Sounds ideal to me.

This then got me really thinking about the ‘effectiveness’ of our people and ourselves and which better advocate of this subject than Stephen R. Covey, author of this book, who passed away last year. One of the legacies he left behind was his book which really defines the best methods for getting a higher return on the investment you put in, ie, yourself.

This is only a quick dip into what this book is about. If you want to understand this better and succeed in what you do or want to do, contact Neil at Coaching to Success for further information where he can help you get from where you are now to reach that point.

The first three headings move us from a state of being Dependant to that of Independent. The following three take it to the next level of Interdependency and the seventh to renewal and continued improvement. This is an extremely shallow over-view and not wishing to do the book any disrespect, I would strongly urge that you purchase it.

1.   Be Proactive

Values are the key issues here and proactive people use their initiative and resourcefulness to create solutions ‘themselves’ without waiting for others to come up with the answers. To be proactive, assess the situation before you, and develop a positive response to overcoming it. Majestic Wine had a downturn in sales but profit increases, how were they able to do that? If that question alone gets you thinking about how they did it, then turn those same thoughts to your own company/firm.

2.   Begin With the End in Mind

Look more closely at what you are doing and what/where you wish to go with it. All too often we start with a dream and the day to day work then takes over. Fundamentally, this is also about creating a mission statement but not just  one thrown together but a principal-centred one. Coaching helps keep you focused on those goals and this is where we often stumble. Keep focused on the end goal.

3.   Put First Things First

Prioritise! Following on from No.2, avoid trying to do everything at once without truly accomplishing any one of the tasks to their full potential. Take time for each of the key roles you take on.

 

4.   Think Win/Win

This is not about you and your own gains. Win/Win is about all parties successfully gaining from the outcome. It is about seeking agreements with the people around you no matter what role they play. Partners, staff, clients, customers, suppliers … and many others too. Do not pay lip-service to this area by trying to undervalue their service or string them along. Assess the situation as much from THEIR perspective as your own and come to a solution that satisfies both party’s needs.

5.   First Seek to Understand… THEN to be Understood

This follows on beautifully. ANY form of realistic relationship must be based around first understanding the other person’s needs. For example, if selling, look at what it is that ‘they’ need and not what you think you can sell them. This is the most important part of Covey’s habits. Interpersonal relationships based around ‘Effective’ listening, not hearing, but listening and removing your own personal experiences from the equation allowing you to be empathetic with what they are saying.

6.   Synergise

Another part of what Covey talks about is that the whole is Greater than the sum of all parts. Ergo, synergy through the building of mutual trust, the understanding and the honest wish to develop to a mutually convenient outcome will inevitably lead to much greater achievements.

 

7.   Sharpen the Saw

Covey refers to this as the four dimensions of renewal. Physical (Exercise, Nutrition, Stress Management) – Social/Emotional (Service, Empathy, Synergy, Intrinsic security) – Spiritual (Value clarification & commitment, Study & meditation) – Mental (Reading, Visualising, Planning, Writing). You need to take time out from the productive nature of your work to allow you to further build production capacity through renewal of the aforementioned areas.

Coaching goes much deeper into all these elements to give you a much clearer perspective of where you are now, where you want to be and to facilitate the path in getting there.

This is powerful matter and to truly succeed in all areas of your life or wellbeing, these areas need to be addressed. If you are at a point in your career, business or firm where you want to improve that or your work life balance while still increasing profits, as with Majestic Wines success … then call Neil on 07761 187238 or email him at neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk and book up a free consultation to see where you can take your future but do it soon before someone else takes your future dreams.

As we say, Our business is all about YOUR success.

60yrs as a ‘Confident’ figure head. 10 tips to aid with YOUR own confidence

60yrs at the helm and our Queen makes an exceptional role model for confidence. From the off-set, our monarch had a difficult task ahead of her and at such an early age whilst having lost her father too. Yet, has always come across competent and confident.

Confidence is something we all lack at some point in our life so here are 10 steps to help you become the ‘Ruler’ of your own destiny.

  1. Set goals – As a Business Coach, this is one of the most fundamental things we work on. By setting specific goals, actions and a timeline, you commit yourself to achieving something and this encourages confidence through commitment.
  2. Improve conversational skills – This isn’t just being able to talk for England (our Sovereign can do that for us) but the ability to make eye contact, a good listener and offer opinion without shirking away or becoming too vociferous. This gives off positive vibes that the people around you will ‘feel’ and then perceive you as being a confident person.
  3. Try new things – Not only can you develop new skills but it allows you to try things not experienced before and this, in turn, enables you to accept new skills and confidence by helping you grow as a person.
  4. Small steps – As a child takes their first teetering steps, building confidence is no different. Start small, ie at the next scheduled meeting/conference, promise to yourself that you will vocalise your opinion. Decide to hold your head up high throughout the day and smile to everyone you meet… small gradual steps and eventually you’ll be giving the main opening speech at National conferences … hmm, ok … but it IS possible!
  5. Be happy with Yourself – Be happy with the person you are whilst having a positive attitude is key to achieving confidence.
  6. Seek out professionals – Sometimes it’s just that extra push or support that will help you overcome the initial barrier. Purchase DVDs, Audio files, books, the guidance from a counsellor or coach (hello!) to reach your potential. All can offer strategies to help you move forward.
  7. Get engaged – New experiences at work improve skillsets and personal growth. Look to take up the ‘Leadership’ role  or join a group of which you will need to participate in.
  8. Practice being confident – ‘Acting’ confident encourages the end result. The old expression of “Fake it ‘til you make it” is very fitting! Inside your stomach may be turning in knots but once you start to experience the interest others have and look to you for inspiration, pretense will soon fade into practice.
  9. Use positive affirmations – Visualise yourself as a confident person. Check your history file in your memory banks of times that you were successful and tell yourself that you are a confidant person, believe in this and smother negative thoughts before they have chance to grow.
  10. Watch role models – Such as the Queen, people in Politics, those in the limelight or even your own working groups or friends/family, finding confident role models can help you become more confident yourself. Rather than just accept what they do, observe and learn their traits.

Regardless of how confident we appear to others (See #8), we all have areas or situations that a boost could help us, so, If you are one of those forward thinking individuals or wishing to portray yourself as being more confident, take the first step by speaking to someone who can help. Call us to arrange a free consultation by contacting Neil (07761 187238) or throw us an email at info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk. We’re here to help, after all … Our business is YOUR success.

Some tips on how to reach out through Social Media, Just like Commander Chris Hadfield did!

The Canadian Astronaut, Cmdr Chris Hadfield, has now landed safely back on earth having spent 5 months orbiting our great planet and doing a fine rendition of Bowie’s Space Oddity (You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo) before returning.

Whilst in space, he used Social Media channels to its full extent sending down videos and pictures so that we could all share the phenomenon of our planet both by day and the beauty of night too.

He reached nearly 1 million followers on twitter yet this was secondary to his main task of working in the International Space Station.

And this is where the link to this article is formed … Business and Social Media. Whether you like it or not, this is the voice of the people and reaches far beyond any other means of promoting what you do individually and what your business can offer.

Coaching can show you how to communicate effectively but you still need to find the right channel(s) to do this. If this is an area that you’re not familiar or comfortable with, then there are companies that do this and, if required, we can help point you in the direction of one or two.

Here’s just a brief idea of some DOS and AVOIDS for social media in business…

DO… Focus on ‘Which’ will work for you
Think about which of the main networks you choose to use, but which one(s)? As a lead, LinkedIn is the place to showcase the credentials of you and your business to all potential customers and should always be up to date. Twitter should be seen as conversational and offer quick snippets of the latest company news or personal insights. Facebook is about sharing links to pictures, presentations of new products, invitations to events etc. Google+, meanwhile, segments people into groups by their interests and targets them with relevant information.

AVOID… Opening a myriad of accounts
The KISS expression works well here! By keeping it simple, means that you are likely to keep it updated and live. Know where your likely market is to be and concentrate your efforts on these media channels.

DO… Follow your own articles and be sure to respond
If people are interested in what you say or the service/product you are offering, they will write a response to your media post. Consistently responding to these articles is essential. This will impress existing and other readers who have not made comment and re-affirms your place as a leader in this field.

AVOID… Taking negativity to heart
As the expression goes … “You can’t please all of the people, all of the time”. Take note of any negative comments and turn them to your favour. Understand what is being said, look at it for ways to improve your service/product and make sure people know of these positive changes. It shows you are listening and that you want to offer the best that you can!

DO… Be patient
Effective social media strategy requires time. In this age of instantaneity, here we are dealing with the human emotion and not simply selling a product. Resist the natural instinct to see rapid returns. Instead, look at the longer-term picture. Psychologists have commented that the ‘Male’ method of business is a hand-shake and job done whereas ‘Female’ intuition builds long term relationships and repeat businesses … Social media alludes to the latter.

AVOID… Expecting them to do this for nothing
Offering incentives (Obtain free useful information, entry into a prize draw, offer a discount etc) by giving you a ‘like’, or sharing a particular product link, is a way to gain followers.

DO… Use existing followers as advocates
Friends are a great ally to promote your business. New users can be pessimistic about cold contact but that appears to ease if contact is passed on via a friend. 38% of Facebook users would be more likely to become a fan of a brand on the network if they saw that a family member or friend had done so! Therefore, ask existing contacts to recommend you by giving you a ‘like’ on your business profile. (on that subject, please pass this link and ask people to subscribe, to people you know so that they too can experience these blogs)

If you are one of those forward thinking individuals or companies who can see the benefits of Social Media but need some assistance with the delivery, take the first step by speaking to someone who can help. Call us to arrange a free consultation by contacting Neil (07761 187238) or throw us an email at info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk. We’re here to help, after all … Our business is YOUR success.

8 Tips for those who want to stay ahead…

Being a beautiful Bank Holiday weekend, Thought I’d make a start on tidying up the garden and didn’t realise how much the grass had grown while I was busy with a growing business. Which then got me thinking about the comparisons, so, as a consequence, this week’s blog is asking you if your business is growing as fast as the grass is?

Now, without taking control of the lawn and garden in general, you can see how unmanageable it can soon become and much like business, what starts off as a flourishing beginning, you still need to maintain and keep on top of it otherwise weeds take over and the beauty of it all becomes lost.

Well enough of the analogies, let’s have a look at eight ways that you can stay on top of your game where the business is concerned.

  1. What Elephant in the room? – Deal with the Big jobs first, stop putting them off until later because later rarely comes. The smaller jobs will fit in and around the larger one so avoid trying to get rid of them first… Prioritise.
  2. Don’t take on too much! – Time management is one thing. This is all about managing what you have to do and fitting it into the time you have available but if you take on too much, then there is still only 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour and sometimes you have to realise when you need to say ‘No’.
  3. Delegate – Usually as we work up through the ranks, we feel that we not only have to carry out the task of the new role, but we also have to manage everything else we’ve done so far to get here! It’s time to delegate those tasks that are less important for the role you hold and, besides which, the person you delegate tasks to has a new sense of self-worth because of the trust you bestow upon them. This is not a simple or straightforward thing to do, so please check out This Post which will help in this area.
  4. Create your ‘Scheduled’ To-Do list the day before – For those of you who know me well, you’ll know I’m a great fan of the To-Do list. Not any ordinary one but a scheduled one! (Contact us if you want a copy). Make this the last task of the day to complete the following days list. As your day moves through it and other jobs come about, start creating the following days list and finalise it at the end of the day. Start this the minute your day begins avoiding unnecessary tasks or procrastinations.
  5. Got to check those emails! – As part of your ‘To-Do’ list, introduce a couple of times during the day that you will check emails and then turn the auto alerts off. Simple. Once mid-morning and the other mid-afternoon. Having set this time, mentally you’ll soon allow yourself the freedom to not having to read and respond to each one that comes through.
  6. Be process driven – Having a decent system in place certainly cuts back on wasted time. For example, if you are a solicitor with a new contract in place, create a checklist for the front of the folder that insures that each step from logging full client details all the way through to final account is there. This way, at any time, you or colleagues can see where you are in the process, what has been completed and, in turn, saves having to continually re-read over old stuff just to bring yourself up to speed as to where you are in the process.
  7. Manage meetings – To be a busy business person, you have to have lots of meetings! Really? Don’t waste your time going to meetings that aren’t relevant to you or your business. Check the frequency, if you’re managing meetings, do they have to be every day? Every week? Can you relay the important stuff in half an hour rather than the usual two hours and consider ‘where’ you meet. Do you need to travel or could you hold an ‘electronic’ meeting?
  8. Short, un-interrupted bursts – Rather than allowing those phone calls to interrupt what you need to do, turn your mobile off, ask reception to hold all calls for a given period of time and make sure those other distractions (emails, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter etc) are also turned off. Then fully concentrate for 30-40 minutes to complete whatever your task is. Do it in one un-interrupted burst that will take you so much less time than just periodically drifting in and out of doing it.

It’s wise to know that coaching isn’t something that firms, companies or organisations use just when areas need to be improved. We would ask you to consider some of the great leaders and organisations around at the moment. You can be assured they’ll have a coach on board to insure they remain that one step ahead of their rivals.

Coaching to Success frequently keeps their clients one step ahead and invite you to contact Neil Nutburn on 07761 187238 or send an email to info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation consultation should you be one of those great businesses that wish to step ahead of your rivals.

How to be a ‘Commercial’ Marathon Runner by looking at the Big Picture …

What a glorious weekend for those running the marathon. Perfect weather, perfect temperature, perfect conditions but with a change in the way so many looked on due to the Boston Marathon incident. Something local that can have implications in so many different ways from events some 3300+miles away (3325ml if you’re truly interested).

Change affects us all in a myriad different ways and in the world of commerce, this can be even more dramatic so often tools such as SWOT analysis are used.

However, have you considered looking at the bigger picture that ultimately affects what you do? The ‘OT’ (Opportunities and Threats) of SWOT can be further explored by another acronym in PEST (Political, Economic, Social-Cultural and Technological – believed to be created by Harvard professor Francis Aguilar)

In brief, PEST …

  1. Gives you advanced warning of significant threats yet aids in spotting business or personal opportunities.
  2. Assists with avoiding the start of projects that are likely to fail, for reasons beyond your control.
  3. Reveals the direction of change within the business environment. Helping shape and to work with change, rather than against it.

Unlike SWOT, which focuses inward, PEST is best used to open the thought process and to ‘Brainstorm’ ideas.

 

POLITICAL

  • Consider what happened at the Eastleigh, Hampshire, UK by-election! What affect did that have on Government? Could the next election change government policy?
  • Who are the contenders? What are business policy views/opinions, or other policies that affect your business?
  • Will business regulation and/or planned changes to it, affect your business? Is there a trend towards regulation or deregulation?
  • Are there any other political factors that are likely to change?
  • Could any pending legislation changes affect your business, positively or negatively?

 

ECONOMICAL

  • How stable is the current economy? How is it in your market?
  • Where are customers’ levels of disposable income at? What’s the likelihood of change in the next few years?
  • What is happening concerning unemployment?
  • How accessible is credit for businesses or consumers? Will this affect you?
  • Is globalization affecting your economic environment?

 

SOCIO-CULTURAL

  • What is the population’s growth rate and age profile? How is this likely to change?
  • Are generational shifts in attitude likely to affect what you’re doing?
  • What attitudes toward work can you ‘truly’ observe? Do they differ for different age groups?
  • How do lifestyle choices or religious beliefs affect the population?

 

TECHNOLOGICAL

  • Are there any upcoming technologies that could radically affect your industry? (the internet with the likes of Jessops!)
  • What new technologies could you be using?
  • How have infrastructure changes affected work patterns (ie, remote or home working)?
  • What other technological factors that you should consider?

 

OPPORTUNITIES

Now you know the changes, brainstorm all the potential opportunities that could be opened up for you (regardless of how inept they may first appear). Is there a new market you could venture into? Are there new products or services you could offer?

THREATS

Equally as important, consider and brainstorm these too. What could potentially demoralise your business and considering these at this early stage, what can you do to minimise the impact knowing in advance rather than fire-fighting them later?

ACTION

This is the area I love. Once you know what the Opportunities are, how to break the Threats, or at least, minimalise them … Take action and build these into a Business Plan

This tool can be used by individuals but so much more benefit can be gained by inviting others to join in and contribute as their perception may bring different ideas to the table than just the ones you may have.

Coaching to Success frequently help organisations with such tools as we know how to delve that little bit deeper to understand obstacles or barriers that may not be revealed due to the closeness to the business. Being external, we’re trained how to ask incisive questions to find those little diamonds often missed and to open up the thought process.

Have a go and consider how your organisation would benefit. To open the thought process further, and to explore the other benefits coaching/mentoring can bring, contact Neil Nutburn on 07761 187238 or send an email to info@coachingtosuccess.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation consultation.

Our business is about your success and your future successes are in your hands so give us a call so we can help you turn the ideas into reality.