challenge Archives • Living to Lead

Three Ways to Create Your Own Business Health Plan

October 24, 2018 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

Three Ways to Create Your Own Corporate Health Plan — Image Credit: Shutterstock

You decide to get in shape. To you, this means increased strength and better health.

As one who has taken that journey in recent years, I can tell you that between that decision and that result is an intense cycle of challenge and growth. You challenge muscles you have not used in years. You push them to their limits. And they grow.

As they grow, you become stronger, more stable, and healthier.

And, despite millions of dollars spent on magic formulas, there really are no shortcuts.

No challenge…no growth…no strength.

In today’s business world, there are companies, leaders, and teams who need to get in shape. Maybe their earnings are anemic; their expenses are out of control; their leadership is weak; or their teams are apathetic.

How do you create your own business health plan?

You do it the same way you gain health physically. You apply challenge.

Here are the three areas of growth.

1. Grow Yourself

What you learned decades ago in business school was just the start of your education. What have you done this year, this month, and this week to grow personally and professionally?

Have you read a book, attended a workshop, gotten counsel, or taken a class? Have you taken the time to learn from your people?

Good leaders constantly look for opportunities to be coached, challenged, and inspired. You have to – because others depend on you to be the best you can be. You will never be perfect; but you can always be growing and learning.

Strong companies are dependent on strong leadership. There are myriads of examples out there where an otherwise strong company was taken down by a weak leader. You owe it to yourself, your team, and your company to grow and strengthen yourself as a leader.

2. Grow Your People

Just as much as you need to grow as a leader, each person on your team needs opportunities for growth, challenge, and inspiration as well. The act of being challenged, then coached and guided through that challenge to a new plateau, builds a person’s self-esteem just like exercise builds muscle.

Leaders can be good at issuing challenges; but they may not be as good at coaching and guiding. This leads to employees – perhaps even some of yours – who may be thinking or saying some of these statements.

“I used to love my work; now I get a knot in my stomach every Sunday night as I get ready to go back to work on Monday.”

“I am not sure I am up to the challenge of this new position.”

“I have lost my creative inspiration for my work.”

“I have no idea what is expected of me. I feel like I am just putting in time until I can retire…and retirement is years away.”

“I have given my heart and soul to several companies; and, in the end, I am just as unemployed as the next victim of downsizing. Why bother?”

Today’s employees have been through more than their fair share of employment issues. In many cases, their self-esteem has taken a proverbial beating in the last few years of corporate downsizing and increasing adoption of artificial intelligence.

It has affected their vocational health.

What they are really saying is, “Challenge me. Coach me. Inspire me. Give me an opportunity to grow.”

As a leader, you are responsible for advancing the vision of your organization. In order to do that, you need a strong team. You are given the opportunity to not only build a strong team, but to build strong people. Meeting this opportunity and challenge not only strengthens you as a leader; it strengthens each team member. It is a win-win situation.

There are no more loyal employees than those who are given the chance to grow personally and professionally in their work – and who are guided in doing so by a leader who truly cares about each individual.

Will you be that leader?

3. Grow Your Business

How can you build a healthy business? The same way you build a healthy physical body – you grow intentionally.

Ask yourself:

What challenges can my company help others overcome?
What guidance or solution can we offer our clients and customers?
How can we inspire others to improve their lives or businesses as well?

Take some time to assess the functional health of yourself, your team, and your business.

Vision – What does good health look like?
Assessment – Where are you now? What are your numbers? What is working? What is not?
Challenge – What challenges do you face?
Fitness Plan – How can you overcome those challenges?
- What new habits do you need to incorporate?
- What old habits do you need to release?
- How will you hold yourself, your team, and your company accountable?

Do you want a healthy business and life?

Start with vision, assess where you are, face the challenges, and create a plan for growth!

Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

Leadership: Should You Be Selfish or Selfless?

August 15, 2018 By Dave Ferguson 1 Comment

There’s a common conception out there – merited in some cases and falsely assumed in others – that those who lead only care about themselves.

In Boss or Leader, this type of selfishness would be a “Boss” indicator. And though it is not true of a good leader, it is pervasive enough to have stereotyped leadership as being all about the leader, with little regard to the success of his or her team.

I’d like to eradicate that problem from its roots.

Are you a selfish or a selfless leader?

Definitions of these two words indicate the difference between the two comes down to whom you care about most.

To be clear, we each have both these traits. No one is truly altruistic. Selflessness is about having less self, but not totally losing yourself in the process. It is about balance.

As leaders, we must practice selflessness and beware of decisions and actions based on selfish motives.

How can you test your motives in order to keep “self” in balance?

“Selfish” indicates you are most concerned about yourself – your image, performance, and desires.

When faced with a decision, is your first thought, “What’s in it for me?” This is such a common trait that it has its own acronym these days: WIIFM. Do your people see you as a WIIFM leader?

When your principles are tested, do you think, “How will this make me look?” or “What will I lose if I stand firm on values?”

When it comes to setting goals for your organization, is your decision swayed by your own personal goals and desires instead of what is best for the company and its employees?

“Selflessness” stems from being more concerned about others than you are about yourself.

When faced with a decision, is your first thought, “How will this help the company and people involved – employees, stockholders, and customers?” Is this a win-win-win situation for everyone involved, or just you as the leader?

When your principles are tested, do you stand by them, no matter the cost?

When setting goals, are you willing to do what is best for your company and your people, even if it is not best for your own personal bank account?

Years ago, there was a story about a business owner whose employees had done exemplary work. As a result, his company was awarded a major contract. This golden goose was the one contract that could have sealed his wealth for the rest of his life. He could have taken the proceeds and retired. Instead, he split the proceeds with every single employee in the company. He was a great example of a selfless leader.

Now you might think he lost a great deal by being selfless in this instance; but his actions toward his people gained him even more loyalty and respect. And his company went on to garner even more high-end contracts because of the reputation of the owner and his people.

Who is a stronger leader – a selfish person or a selfless person?

Many think a selfless leader is weak – that they simply give in to the will of their people.

This could not be farther from the truth. It takes strength to make difficult, unbiased decisions. It takes character to overcome the urge to make those decisions with less regard for self and more regard for the organization and its people.

It takes strength to stand on principles as well, and to pay the costs that come with doing so. In actuality, being a selfless leader takes more strength than being a selfish leader because it requires that we go against our natural human nature, which draws us to protect our own interests, even at the detriment of others.

Being a selfish leader is easy.

You only have one person to please and one person to look out for…YOU. But if you have ever had to get into shape, you know that “easy” does nothing for you. In fact, “easy” is how you got out of shape in the first place!

Have you ever had someone say, with regard to a meeting, “I will be there at 1:30-ish?”

What does that mean?

It means you will likely be waiting past 1:30 p.m. It means they are not sure or can’t commit to a specific time. It means their plans are somewhat undefined.

The word “self-ish,” has similar connotation. It means you are not fully committed to someone or something. It means you are undefined and uncertain.

This is that root of which I spoke.

Selfish leadership very often stems from uncertainty and lack of commitment. While it may appear to be the stronger position, it is, ironically, the weaker one.

The real reason leaders become the subject of gossip around the proverbial water cooler is rooted in selfish leadership – and selfish leadership is centered on self, instead of others; position instead of personal connection; and weakness instead of strength.

Effective leaders genuinely care about and are supportive of employee success. They engage and connect with their teams.

They are principled.

They are selfless.

Will you make the choice to be a selfless leader?

The Leader in the Mirror

June 20, 2018 By Dave Ferguson 1 Comment

Many years ago, a mentor of mine gave me a book titled The Man in the Mirror by Patrick Morley. I still have that book, and every two or three years, I take it with me to the beach and reread it.

As I read it this last time, I looked at it from a leader’s viewpoint. It inspired me to create a list of five questions we as leaders need to be asking ourselves on a regular basis.

Here are those five questions. Will you look in the mirror with me?

1. How often am I communicating the company’s vision to my team?

If I asked your team what the vision is, how many different answers would I get?

I did this recently at an organization with whom I was working. Of the 120 people in the room, only one person got close to the actual written vision of the company.

Most had no idea what the vision was.

If this is the case where you are, how can you expect people to follow you? The fact is, they don’t know where you are taking them.

Connecting to you is one thing. Connecting to you and the vision is what your goal should be.

Are your people connecting with both you and the vision?

2. What are the priorities in my business?

Do you regularly outline these for your team? Do everyone’s activities connect to the vision?

If you can narrow down activities for everyone, and keep them focused on WIN (What’s Important Now), you will have a more productive, effective, and efficient team.

Most people I talk with tell me they need better time management. But help your team with priority management, and everyone wins!

3. How am I really spending my time?

You set the example for WINning by following the What’s Important Now formula – by working the vision and priority management.

What is your team really seeing in your example?

In my work with leaders, we often go through some exercises to truly see where they are spending time. It is normally an eye-opening exercise for them, as many realize they allow unexpected events, day-to-day challenges, and personal responsibilities take up much of their time. Left unchallenged, these can pull them away from leading towards the vision.

4. What does my feedback look like?

Ask yourself: “Do I give my team timely, constructive, and to-the-point feedback?”

If you have the right people on your team, they want to be coached and developed. They don’t want to wait for the annual review process to hear how they can improve. They are looking for immediate feedback so they can adjust course accordingly.

If you are worrying about being “liked” by them, waiting until year-end may not get you there. If you wait until year-end, you most definitely won’t be “liked.”

5. Am I open to feedback?

I will always recommend that leaders engage with a coach, but internally, who are you open to receiving feedback from? If you aren’t asking for feedback from several levels, you are missing out on some growth opportunities. If you read my recent article on blind spots, you have seen some of what could be holding you back.

Regardless of whether you are a leader in the corporate world, small business, or in a business of your own, taking this journey of five questions on a regular basis adds value to you, your team, your relationships, and more.

An Often Overlooked Goal Strategy: Choose Your Words

February 21, 2018 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

You have made goals. Now comes the time to execute those goals.

Whether it is a health goal, a relationship goal, a career goal, or some other goal, the process is similar. You have an aspiration. Now you must execute.

Taking a step back, consider what you need to do to achieve those goals.

There is a standard list of project planning steps we all know: set realistic goals, make a plan, build in feedback loops so that even a lofty goal has reinforcing achievements along the way, etc.

These are all critical. It is likely you already do most of these based on experience.

There is another subtle – yet critical – issue you should consider as you pursue your goals: consider your choice of words.

Have you ever noticed how you are describing your goals? Are you using passive words? Why does it matter?

When I coach leaders with regard to their goals, they often speak of what they want to achieve using terms such as: wish, would, could, like, if, and maybe.

“I would like to increase sales by 25%.
“I wish to become successful in 2018.

These are not goals. They are expressions of uncertainty.

When spoken or considered, these expressions further reinforce uncertainty.

If you want to achieve your goals, you cannot be in the business of wishing. If you want to be successful, you must speak with conviction. Using action words shows confidence and determination.

Action words like “want,” “will,” and “can” show intentions of taking action.

Think for a moment. What makes you trust and believe in someone you really do not know? Consider successful sales people. What kinds of words are they using when speaking to you and getting you to buy from them? Are they passive or active words?

People buy from people they know, like, and trust – and people who can who speak confidently about their product.

Consider their mix of topics:

How much time are they reinforcing your relationship with them?
How much time are they educating you on their services?
How much time are they selling you on the advantages their offer provides?

Chances are, they are speaking with confidence in each of these areas.

You may not be in sales. Your goals may be in a completely different area, but the same principle applies. Stop and consider how your choice of words influences not only other people, but yourself.

Using active words will show others that you are confident and mean business.

Those same word choices are also key to convincing you to make the changes necessary to achieve your goals.

4 Steps to Create a Robust Work Regimen

January 3, 2018 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

Featured article by Dave Ferguson in CEOWORLD magazine. Reprinted by permission.

You do not need to be a morning person to be a good leader.

There are plenty of people who don’t rise before the sun, and yet manage to build empires. What they do have in common, however, is diligence.

Creating a work regimen is simply about habits. These are the small acts you perform throughout your day that help give you structure. This structure is what helps push us through the trying or mundane days (we all have them) and pushes us toward success when we lack the extra drive ourselves.

In short, crafting a work regimen will make you a more productive leader.

“But Dave, I have no idea where to start…”

I can’t create the perfect work regimen for you because successful habits are deeply personal. But I can offer up four important steps to creating one.

The Work Regimen

Step One: Always look ahead

Assess your schedule and to-do list at the beginning of each day. End each day by looking forward to the next. This should take 10 minutes tops. Surprises upset most of us — this is a sure way to head off the unexpected.

Identify the one task or project you want to complete most every day and block off your most productive time for this task. This ensures you will end most days feeling productive.

Step Two: Write things down

Whether you prefer a digital app to organize your to-dos and personal notes or you are more of a pen and paper kind of person — I promise you that writing things down will only make you more productive and accountable.

Don’t be afraid to be creative with it! A simple checklist may be the perfect option for you. Or you may find that a concept map is more effective. The point is that we don’t always know what’s best for us, and so it is important to try different things until we find our optimal solution.

Step Three: Make it work for you.

You can’t just adopt someone else’s regimen lock, stock, and barrel. Just because a habit works for a colleague or mentor doesn’t mean it will work for you.

By all means, take suggestions from these people in your life. And try them out — but without expectation. Point is, we are all different. Make sure your work regimen is yours.

Step Four: Give it time.

By definition, a habit is a behavior practiced over time. Your ritual will take time to establish. Be kind to yourself, and don’t get discouraged by slip-ups.

Remember, it is important not to try to overhaul your life all in one day. Like any other healthy change, it takes time in order to stick! But once you settle into your work regimen, you will find that it is much easier to handle menial tasks on autopilot, attack important tasks with focus and solve problems with creativity.

Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in talking to Dave about coaching or having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.