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Ready to Make MORE Changes?

November 20, 2013 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

Ready to Make MORE Changes?

Last week, we began the journey of how we can develop “Winning Strategies for Life and Business”. We talked about examining your talents, daily activities and clutter, good and bad habits, and all the roles you possess.

As we continue, today, I’m going to challenge each and every one of you to take some time and evaluate where in your life and business you truly want and need to make PROGRESS, not change. Then, I’m going to ask you to step out of your comfort zone and start making it all happen. As we continue to discuss the areas you should include in your plan, continue to concentrate on developing the visions, strategies, and action plans necessary to “win” in your life and business. Here are the remaining areas I believe you should include in your plan:

1. What are your money-making opportunities?
Who are your best clients, your most promising prospects, and your top referral sources? Build strategies and action plans to grow with and through each of them. Then, find someone to hold you accountable to do it!

2. Who is on your support team?
Do you have the right people “on your bus?” Examine this and take action, if necessary.

3. Take a look at all the projects you have stalled on your desk.
Define the desired result, delegate responsibility, and then develop the required action steps to get them completed.

4. Start looking at your desire for personal growth and balance.
Who can you spend time with to enrich your life? Are you spending time with them now?

5. Examine what skills you want to improve and what additional knowledge you want to gain.
Can your mindset be improved?

Now that you have concentrated on and created for the 10 areas we discussed, I recommend you chunk your goals down every 90 days. Pick Five Top Goals to accomplish every 90 days, and then develop strategies and action plans to make them happen.

By examining the nine areas outlined the last two weeks, you will begin to focus on what’s really important in your life and business. No longer will your life and business run you. You will be in charge of the way your time is spent, the people you surround yourself with, and the results. Will most of you have to step out of your comfort zone? Yes! But remember, it is through actions such as these that we grow. Growth is good!

Are you ready to commit to absolute progress and success in 2014 and beyond? Consider taking the actions necessary to ensure 2014 and beyond are years of growth and prosperity for you and your business.

Share your comments below about what absolute progress and success you will commit to in 2014. Thanks and have a great week!

Ready to Make Changes for 2014 and Beyond?

November 13, 2013 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

Ladder to the clouds — Image by Celine Walker @ Flickr

Wow! Can you believe it’s almost the middle of November already? Well, like it or not, it’s here, and if you’re wise about your life and business, you’re already thinking ahead to 2014 and beyond. In about a month, many people will sit around and talk about all the changes they’re going to make and all the exciting things they’re going to do in the New Year. This year, I’m challenging each of you to take some steps to create a vision for your life and business NOW. Build strategies to aim toward your visions, develop goals that will drive your strategies, and create action plans to get you there. You see, most people rarely, if ever, do any of these things. Oh sure, some people make New Year’s Resolutions and some people make “to do” lists. But, is that all it takes to make your visions reality? Absolutely not!

Now, let me continue to be brutally honest. When most people create their goals for a New Year, approximately 1% of them are actually still progressing on these goals 30 days later. Most of them don’t even look at the list again until the following January. Why? I believe many people make lists of things they “should” do, rather than a list of absolute “musts”. On top of that, they also lack the determination and discipline to execute the changes necessary to hit the goals.

Today, I’m going to challenge each and every one of you to take some time and evaluate where in your life and business you truly want and need to make PROGRESS, not change. Most change is automatic. Progress is not!

Next week I will continue with the rest.

1. Examining your talents will be one of the first things we do. What are your top three “money-making” talents? Once you have them, we’ll talk about how you can maximize them.

2. Then you’ll take a deep look at your daily activities and separate out the clutter. You’ll have to decide what you do with that clutter. We’ll figure it out together.

3. You’ll then have to examine some of your habits: the good, the bad, and the ugly ones. We’ll pick five you want to change and build a strategy to make it happen.

4. What about all your roles? Can you be a better boss, co-worker, owner, friend, parent, spouse, etc.? You’ll have to commit to action here, too!

Are you ready to commit to absolute progress and success in 2014 and beyond?

Share your comments below about what absolute progress and success you will commit to in 2014. Thanks and have a great week!

Commit to Progress and Start Now!

November 6, 2013 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

Photo by JakeandLindsay @ Flickr
It’s that time of year again. Mother Nature is acting strangely, the holidays are just around the corner, and the end of the year is creeping up on us. This is the time of year that many businesses and business owners create their forecasts and budgets for the following year. I have heard from many of you recently that it’s become extremely hard, if not impossible, to forecast in the current economic climate, so many of you are moving ahead with little to no guidance. Let me give you some. If you’re not a planner and strategist, this is one time in your life you cannot afford to roll the dice.

Between now and the end of the year, I am going to be writing primarily about strategies, goals, action plans, and execution. Now more than ever, you need a system and process around your business and personal plans. But first, I am challenging each and every one of you to take some time and evaluate where in your life and business you truly want and need to make PROGRESS, not change. You see, I believe that most change is automatic, and that progress is not! Change happens, progress takes momentum. Let’s build some!

If we are honest with ourselves, then we all should agree we have “gaps” in our business and personal lives. Think about where you currently are in your business and personal life. Then think about where you want to be in each. Are there “gaps”? Of course, there are. I have them and work with a coach to help me narrow some and close many. I’ve done so for years. Let me help you!

If you are like most, you make lists of things you “should” do. Some may call them “to do” lists and others may actually call them a plan. How many people do you know that go around saying, “I should do this, and I should do that.” Most of the lists go like this: I should develop a marketing strategy; I should take some leadership courses; I should hire more effective sales people; I should lose weight; I should exercise more; I should spend more time with loved ones; I should listen more to my employees; I should cut the fat at work; I should pay off my debts; I should eat healthier. Do any of these sound familiar? Unfortunately what most people do is create list like this and they do what I call “should all over themselves.” Let’s all stop doing that now and commit to developing and creating effective plans that include things we “must” execute on.

So here is your homework assignment, to be completed by next week. Take some time and evaluate your business and personal lives for “gaps”. Document those “gaps” and categorize them if possible. Then write out exactly where you want to be and visualize being there. Over the next month or so, we will discuss simple ways to develop strategies and action plans to get you there. We’ll talk about some common roadblocks that stop many from progressing; we’ll discuss the differences between the truly successful and the truly unsuccessful; we’ll hopefully put an end to the annual “New Year’s Resolutions” game many of us play, and, if you’re willing to work hard and commit to progress, we’ll see some great strides being made.

I understand that only a wet baby likes change. I also understand a driven adult needs to make progress!

Have a great week and PLEASE call me if I can assist you in any way.

Adopt These Practices to Remain a Cool Leader

October 9, 2013 By Dave Ferguson 1 Comment

There is no doubt that these are trying times for many leaders. With uncertainties all around us as business owners, executives, and managers, how we remain cool and successful amidst the madness going on is critical (not only to our business but our health as well). If you are struggling with remaining calm under pressure, cool off with some of these practices:

1. Plan Effectively: This is, without a doubt, the best way I know to reduce the level of stress we as leaders can accumulate. I recommend you set aside time to plan by the year, quarter, month, week, and day. Once you have these plans in place, make sure you are reviewing them daily, before you start your work day. Remember, I recommend planning, not over-planning. You’ll only add stress to your life if you plan for perfection. I have a great planning tool I use with all of my clients.

2. Own your Vital Few: These are the tasks that are the highest and best use of your time. These are the things you get paid to do. Everything else is clutter and stuff you shouldn’t be doing. Either lower the priority on the clutter or get rid of it through delegation or removal.

3. Find a Buddy: We all need a trusted colleague who can help us stay on course, while keeping our behaviors where we want them. While I recommend you hire a coach, when that is not possible, find someone at work who can reel you in when your behavior starts to head towards the bottom of the lake.

4. Prioritize Yourself High: If you’re not taking care of yourself, who’s going to? Schedule your exercise, sleep, and fun activities just like you would schedule an important meeting with a client. By the way, these may actually be more important than the meeting with the client. There are always more prospective clients, there is only one you!

5. Limit Your Portions: Don’t put things on your plate that you shouldn’t and learn to say “no”. As a leader, your job is not to react to the needs of others. Your job is to lead them, not do things for them. Focus on your “vital few” only.

6. Monitor Yourself: If you’re like most of us, you know when you’re showing signs of being overwhelmed. When you see or feel these signs, take a short walk or do some breathing exercises. Find out what is causing you the stress, and come up with a solution that you can implement right away to alleviate it. It may just be a matter of prioritizing what is currently on your plate.

7. Be Positive: Having a positive mindset can do wonders for your temperature. Stay cool by reading positive stuff, spending time with positive people, and having some fun. Join a fit club, go hiking, go drive a NASCAR with my friends at Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure and leave your fears and stress at the track.

Try some of these out and let me know how they work. Have a great week and I’d love to hear about how you’re keeping your cool!

Leading from the Front

October 2, 2013 By Dave Ferguson 2 Comments

If you’ve ever been to a Salty Dog restaurant, then you are probably familiar with their slogan, “If you ain’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes.” While we may think the lead dog on a dogsled is always the strongest, fastest, and youngest dog in the pack, that’s rarely the case; just as leaders in the working world sometimes are not the smartest, bravest, most logical, people on the team. Sorry, if I hurt any feelings out there, folks, but I can tell you from my past that when I admitted these things, I became a much better leader. I hired better, developed more, and used the skills I had to lead. Today, I’d like to share some of those skills, tactics, and practices that can ensure you’re the lead dog, not only during difficult periods, but also during the good times:

1. Take Responsibility: Be responsible for outcomes. It’s an honorable quality that most successful leaders have. To do this, you have to be one to take action, while others are gathering data, asking questions, and consulting others. “Make it happen, while others are wishing and wanting things to happen.”

2. Just Go for It: Hesitation causes procrastination. Don’t over-think and over-analyze, as it will only prevent you from taking the first step to what could be some great strides. If you want to increase or improve something, you’ve got to try something new, or you’ll never know if it will work. Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” He’s right.

3. Fail Fast and Freely: Be willing to fail, fail fast, and keep going. Most people won’t even attempt something if they think they are going to fail at it. To get over that hump, consider what the worst case scenario of failing would be. Normally when we do that, it rarely seems as bad as the unknown. Sometimes the worst case scenario could be you were a comfortable coward.

4. Enjoy Your Role: If you don’t already, take pleasure in what you do. If you don’t get excited about work, you’re cheating yourself out of a life of fulfillment. The average person spends more time at work than they do with their family or in places of worship. Shouldn’t you enjoy it?

5. Be a Winner: If you’re in the game of work to win, then you must define what a win looks like to you and then build a winning game plan (a good coach can assist you with these). Why bother to get up and go to work if you’re not in it to win? The great Michael Jordan once said, “I play to win, and I will not let anything get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win.”

6. Get over Obstacles: We all run into obstacles; they are part of life. The true measure of a leader is how they handle them. The number of obstacles you’ve had to overcome speaks volumes for how hard (and smart) you’ve had to work for success. If your goal is worth achieving, then it is worth the time and effort it will take to clear any obstacle in the way of you achieving it. Obstacles don’t have to stop you. What you need to do is think about the fact that whatever you’re trying to reach will be that much more worth it when you get to the other side. Are you ready to climb those mountains?

7. Go for it: Now, put it all out there. Focus on the now, and give it everything you’ve got. If you look at the consequences of failing to achieve, you’ll end up thinking about negative results. Looking too far in the future can cause us to lose focus and in turn, not give the task at hand the focus it needs.

Okay, so you’re not a dog, you’re a person. But isn’t work and life, at times, a lot like pulling a heavily weighted sled through thick snow in sub-zero temperatures? So why wouldn’t you want to use these tips to be the lead dog? Go get um, Fido!

Comment below about a time when you decided to “go for it”! What happened when you did?

Ready to Make MORE Changes?

Ready to Make Changes for 2014 and Beyond?

Commit to Progress and Start Now!

Adopt These Practices to Remain a Cool Leader

Leading from the Front

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