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Perseverance … The key to Success (Part 1of2)

 

Having recently presented to a group on how better to manage work in the available allotted time, someone commented on how they started actions but gave up when it didn’t reap the rewards. We then explored the fact that immediate results were expected which brought about this feature focusing on perseverance.

This is quite a deep subject matter. How can you discuss a subject that insures long term approaches are met in just a few words? To give it the attention it deserves, we will split this into two parts, with the intention that you can start focusing on the areas important to your success and then re-visit to finish importing the remaining ideas. You know, persevere with this!

How many times have we all started a project, only to give up fairly quickly? And here’s an interesting statistic, it is alleged that 91% of millennials or Generation Y (people born in the 1980s/90s) stay in a job for less than 3 years! They are more prone to move and find what they enjoy rather than sticking at things long term. Maybe from a leadership point of view, they feel undervalued or they simply aren’t scared to take the risk.

But one thing is for sure, all successful business people all have one thing in common, and that’s perseverance.

So let us take some tips from these experts and list some out here for us to look at.

  1. Obvious step 1 – Work intensely: Unless you have rich relatives or a windfall, the only way you will become financially successful is to work hard. Malcolm Gladwell popularized that 10,000 hours of practice can turn anyone into an expert. Now there is some disputing argument in the science world but nonetheless, practise and more practise is important.
  2. Take responsibility: We live in a blameless society. It is always somebody else’s fault why we didn’t get that job role or win the contract. Take responsibility. Learn from this as opposed to offsetting the negativity onto others. Go that extra mile and remain happy and focused.
  3. Preparation: Benjamin Franklin Quoted “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail”. As well as the bigger projects, start your day by planning ahead what you are looking to achieve by the end of it. Look at when you will check emails or social media posts. Understand their worth and if it doesn’t add value to what you need to do, turn them off.
  4. Originality: Don’t jump on the bandwagon as that ship has already sailed! How many more sayings could I use but you get the idea. I write for the Southern Echo so for other coaches, that slot has gone. Be different, Be creative, Be a risk taker and don’t imitate others. Learn from them by all means but don’t copy them.
  5. Mind chatter: some would say to avoid the negative thoughts, that voice of resistance but I happily encourage it with my clients as this creates opportunities to address potential barriers. There is a game we play called mind chatter which encourages ALL thoughts (imaginative, cautious, adventurous etc) to have internal dialogue in our heads but to recognise them and then give them names (such as Brother inspiration, Aunty reassurance, Mr. Ridiculous, My eccentric friend) and allow your mind to chat away with the ultimate aim of finding a realistic outcome.

That’s the first 5 of 10, look out for the next feature where we will look at the remaining five elements.

Neil Nutburn of Coaching to Success is renowned for his motivation and holding clients accountable for actions they agreed to carry out. If you would like to find out more about how he can help you persevere and reach your goal, contact him via neil.nutburn@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or 07761 187238 to arrange a free consultation on how Coaching to Success can help you. Also, to get a feel for the person, check out our short ‘interview’ video at https://youtu.be/RvCwOL4hPco

Finding that internal Motivator

I was recently asked to do a presentation for a group of business professionals based on the subject of improving the level of determination, or as we would refer to it ‘Motivation’.

Those who know me often comment on how motivated I am. Those who know me well will know this hasn’t always been the case. Pressures of work, those who influence moods, lack of direction are all contributing factors to how I was affected. In today’s climate, so many people, possibly including yourself or those you work with, also feel pressurised through work or personal issues.

How do we address this? Self-motivation is complex, but there are four main factors acting as the driving force behind the drop in motivation.

  • Confidence
  • Positive thinking
  • Focused and Tangible goal setting
  • Motivating environment

It is vital to consider all four to drive self-motivation forward.

CONFIDENCE

Exercises to help boost this:

  1. BREATHE: When you are nervous, you should not talk, but breathe until you calm down.
  2. GET A NOTEBOOK: Record all the positive items that you manage to do.
  3. BODY LANGUAGE: Eyes forward, back straight, keeping your head high.
  4. SET GOALS: If you do not have goals then how can you know where you are going. Set goals in every area of your life. Every area! Work, personal & social life, health and fitness, and every area that is important to you.
  5. EXPAND: One of the simplest confidence building exercises is to expand one’s knowledge area. Find the essential areas for work or home and improve your skillset at those.
  6. COMPLIMENT YOURSELF: Have you ever complimented yourself on a daily basis? If not, set about changing that.
  7. EXERCISE AT WORK: What skills do you have over others and with no effort? Find them. Admit to yourself that you have them, then commit to furthering these skills.
  8. SELF-HYPNOSIS: At night, as you feel sleepy, lie in your bed and repeat simple affirmations along the lines “I can do anything. Anything. Anything that I set my mind to do. There is no one and nothing that can stop me”

POSITIVE THINKING

All too often when feeling challenged, our minds slip into what we are fearful of and these negative thoughts feed themselves. Look to aspire towards positive objectives as opposed to the negative of having to ‘Give up’ something.

GOAL SETTING

Realise your goal/objective, write it down. Check through all the areas that may interfere, timescales, people etc. Consider ALL options, even the most ludicrous (they may eventually have a place)! Write down actions for selected options that will be most beneficial to act on now. Set a time to START each and a completion time. Be accountable to someone for each.

MOTIVATING ENVIRONMENT

Surround yourself with people and resources that will remind you of your goal. Which will, in turn, help with ‘internal’ motivation. Be careful not to rely on them. To begin, you probably will. As you get more comfortable, competent & confident, your self-motivation will mean you’ll rely on them less frequently.

That’s the skill of your business coach, to hold you accountable and create that belief in yourself that you can do something but this is backed by actions and plans, not simply the arm around your shoulder.

So if you are prepared to move forward and need help in the early days, then contact Neil, neil.nutburn@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or 07761 187238 to arrange a free consultation on how Coaching to Success can help you. Also, to get a feel for the person, check out our short ‘interview’ video at https://youtu.be/RvCwOL4hPco

Explore the options before making that decision!

Whether it be personal or business, we make decisions each and every day.

Sometimes seemingly relatively insignificant decisions, such as which desert to opt for from the menu? Actually, I will retract my statement of being insignificant as this is quite an important decision to make! Through to those large ones of whether to move house/business or even the path we are currently on.

What brought about this week’s feature was working with a client who had tough decisions over the direction of his business. Potentially meaning a reduction in overheads, or in businesses terms, cutting staff numbers!

Due to situations that were beyond his control, he was now left with this dichotomy with no clear options for him to take. Fortunately I was able to assist by giving clear direction of thinking as I was without the emotional baggage that attaches to the way we think when being personally affected.

All too often we start thinking a certain way and quickly establishing all the contributing factors to support and make this the right and only route to take! However, unless we actually put up a competing debate, this argument becomes more of a statement without depth.

To help view the given subject matter from different perspectives, the Cartesian Quadrant (a geometric mathematical equation) was adapted to ask a given question in four different ways with regards the outcome of change as such:

  • What WOULD happen if you DID make that change? (Visualise goal fulfilment – increasing motivation)
  • What WOULD happen if you DIDN’T make that change? (Identify the pain of staying unchanged – which can be a powerful motivator)
  • What WOULDN’T happen if you DID make that change? (Understand what will be lost the goal is achieved – this could be a useful loss, or a painful one!)
  • What WOULDN’T happen if you DIDN’T make that change? (Identify hidden perspectives and feelings. This question befuddles our left or conscious mind and can provide fresh perspectives through intuitive leaps)

Once we can look from different approaches with an open mind, we are able to start addressing the potential options available to us. As a coach, one system I use is G.R.O.W. which looks at the Goal or objective, the Reality of the situation to give clarity and remove incorrect thoughts created by unsubstantiated beliefs. Onto the Options which cover, through incisive questioning, all possible ideas and then select a few that are relevant at that moment in time to create the Way forward.

Looking at various subject areas, we worked through the above combination for each and arrived at a plan that not only insured the safety of his most valuable assets, ergo the staff, but a means to diversify the business direction with a clear plan to make it work.

Decision making is not about doing the first thing to come into our heads but to look with open eyes at the possibilities around us. At Coaching to Success, we endeavour to help our clients to look beyond their initial boundaries for making decisions and welcome your contact (Neil by email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or call 07761 187238) should you find yourself or business constrained by what appears to be a lack of options available. Also, have a look at Neil’s interview video https://youtu.be/RvCwOL4hPco. You’ll always be assured a warm welcome to discuss how we can help.

Clarity is the Secret to Effective Delegation

As adults, we’ve grown from infancy being totally dependent on others through to teenage/early 20s where we felt independent. In adulthood, we realise that we can’t do everything and sometimes we require others help to achieve our objectives. Stephen Cover referred to this as being the state of interdependency.

Part of this understanding is ‘Delegation’, and the key to this is ‘Clarity’.

How often have you been delegated to do something that is veiled in mystique? When is it required by? How do I go about doing this? Who has responsibility? Why ME?

Or the difficult art of delegating? “I know the system so can do it quicker”! “I’ll be more accurate”! and a variety of other self-imposed reasons why we don’t. Even as an employed Director, I believed these things and wondered why I never had time to enjoy life, family and friends as I seemed either to be working or sleeping through exhaustion.

Here are some useful ideas that I have helped many clients grasp the element of effective delegation through clarity:

  • The Objective – Know the required outcome and be clear in this when passing a task on. Don’t assume they know, inform.

For example, if you stress to someone that you need an urgent report on a system you believe will benefit the business, don’t simply ask “I need a quick assessment as this is really important”, set the parameters.

What exactly is it that needs to be done? Do you just want a paragraph, a page, a 10-page report?  And assess what?  Sales, market share, range of products?  All of the above or something else?  Make the expected outcome clear.

  • Communication – Without clarity, perception of what is required lies totally with the person carrying out the task. I once gave a task to someone that took two days and when they returned with all the data, it covered far more than what I required. This resulted in wasted time and all because I didn’t communicate well enough.

Before handing out a task, check what you need to be accomplished and write it down, we are not telepathic (mind you, the wife always seems to know what I’m thinking!) so don’t expect the delegate to know what you want.

Leave the door open to requests for clarification and openly invite them to raise questions to obtain the direction they require.

  • Time – Begin with the end in mind (Stephen R. Covey). Agree progress updates, with expected deadlines or timelines. Take time to read submitted reports or have discussions. Where necessary, make relevant adjustments. If you ask for something quick, do you mean this afternoon, the end of the week, month, year? Think about how much time will be necessary but not just time, what other responsibilities the delegate has to work around. Discuss and agree a time frame.
  • Responsibility – Delegate responsibility with authority but remember, ultimately, it is YOURS. Define authority and accountability. What is their level of approach? Set the parameters. If there are to be more than one person involved, insure that all know who the lead is in this particular request. Everyone involved may be completely capable in their abilities but without leadership (and there is another subject in itself) you have a recipe for confusion.
  • Support – Refrain from belittling but ride the successes. Consider accomplishment rewards or benefits, publically praise their work or express future opportunities. Be there to answer questions, monitor (but not micro-manage) and ask for progress updates. Keep updating to show you are all on the same ‘Clear’ path.

The head of an orchestra can’t necessarily play every instrument but they know how to get the whole group to create a beautiful symphony due to setting clear direction. Delegation is no different.

Coaching to Success specialise in gaining clarity and responsibility. Should enhanced delegation skills help, please contact Neil by email neil@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or call 07761 187238 to arrange a complimentary meeting. Also, have a look at Neil’s interview video https://youtu.be/RvCwOL4hPco. You’ll always be assured a warm welcome to discuss how we can help.

An alternative ‘Coach’ to ‘driving’ your career forward…

Everyone experiences a moment in their career path that raises questions about whether they are suited to the role they are in, whether they wish to continue in the organisation they are currently working for or the fact that we sometimes simply feel stuck, not progressing as others appear to move forward.

There are two types of coach … one has wheels and transports you to your destination, the other has belief in you reaching your destination by your own actions. In case you were wondering, I’m the latter!

So how can I help you drive yourself forward? Read on for some useful guidelines that will start this journey.

Firstly, look at your situation from an outsider’s perspective and then ask yourself:

  • How do you see this person in relationship to their job/role
  • What could they do to better themselves
  • Where do they need to go to carry out this improvement
  • Who can they call upon, use, hire to help this improvement happen

Look at things objectively and attempt to move your emotional self away from the equation.

Consider these areas:

  • How has my career progressed
  • Where is my career path heading
  • How is my relationship with my line manager
  • What is my fit within the company
  • What opportunities for career development are there within the organisation (Think objectively and realistically, which can be hard if you dislike your current role)
  • What do I anticipate my place to be within 5 years’ time

From here, list what you believe to be your Strengths. What areas in your life are you proud of and what are your good qualities.

Ascertain what Weaknesses you may have. What areas need to be worked on or improved?

Establish what Opportunities are there for you or that appear interesting. What openings are there within your own business? What associations or network groups that you could explore?

Consider what Threats there are outside of your control but be truthful about whether you can change that outcome? How strong is the likelihood that this will affect your objective and what can you do about it?

It would help to ask others to contribute to your SWOT analysis. Ask friends, Family and work colleagues. State you are looking to improve and understand that this could be a useful tool to help you along the way. If you are looking to develop within the organisation, let the relevant parties who can help you along this path know and ask them.

Now look to set goals relating to your future journey:

  • What is your Goal – be specific
  • Steps needed to take move your career forward
  • What do you need to learn/develop to reach your goal
  • What is your drive and motivation
  • What is the timescale
  • What are the true barriers in the way and how can you overcome them
  • What sacrifices are you prepared to make to obtain your goal
  • Your CV … how current is it and how specific is it towards the career path you wish to take

Answering these questions and truly looking at yourself is just the start of your career journey. Once you start travelling this path, you can really focus on where you want to be.

As a coach, I help numerous people from a variety of walks of life to move forward in their chosen career path both internally and also outside of their organisations.

If are looking for help in moving your career forward, then take the first step and contact Neil at neil.nutburn@coachingtosuccess.co.uk or 07761 187238 to arrange a free consultation on how Coaching to Success can help you. Also, to get a feel for the person, check out our short ‘interview’ video at https://youtu.be/RvCwOL4hPco