The Power of Priorities

Priorities and time are always key issues. In my years of helping business owners to grow I’ve guided them to discover many things about themselves and their businesses. Here are two things that business people find very challenging: (1) thinking ahead and (2) doing things in order of importance.
Doing these two things makes the difference between success in business and just surviving. And the same is true for all areas of our lives.

Leadership trainer and author John Maxwell says, “Thinking ahead and prioritizing responsibilities marks the major differences between a leader and a follower.”

Most people have heard of the Pareto Principle, more commonly known as the 80/20 Principle. Roughly stated this says that in most businesses 80% of your business comes from 20 % of your customers.

Here are other examples of the Pareto Principle:
Reading: 20 percent of the book contains 80 percent of the content.
Job: 20 percent of our work gives us 80 percent of our satisfaction.
Products: 20 percent of the products bring in 80 percent of the profits.
Picnic: 20 percent of the people will eat 80 percent of the food!

So… when it comes to your priorities, 20 percent of your priorities will give you 80 percent of your production… Ask yourself: “do I spend my time, energy, money and personnel on the top 20 percent of my priorities”?

When you focus on the top 20 percent, you are getting a 400% or fourfold return in productivity. Think what this would mean in your business?

Every business person needs to understand the Pareto Principle as it applies to the areas of customers, team and leadership.

In the area of customers, it is vital to identify the 20 percent who account for 80 percent of your business. These are your “raving fans” and strategies must be put in place to care for them appropriately.

For your team, you must identify the top 20 percent producers. Spend 80 percent of your “people time” with these people to develop them to their full potential.

In leadership, take an honest look at the question, “What do I have to do that no one else can do?” Remember a leader can give up everything except final responsibility. You can decide whether you will be reactive or proactive when it comes to the use of your time. The question is not, “Will I be busy?” but “How will I invest my time?” It’s not “Will my calendar be full?” but “Who will fill my calendar?,” It’s not “Will I see people?,” but “Who will I see?”

Do this and watch your productivity and personal satisfaction rise to new heights!

A Lesson From the Olympics

I've enjoyed watching the Beijing Olympics over the past week or so. Of course, the story of the week has been the exceptional performance of U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps. It has been fun to watch him perform and the poise and dedication he has brought to his performances. There were a couple of close calls but he still managed to win an unprecedented eight gold medals.

What got me thinking though was an interview I saw with Phelps. He was being interviewed by Matt Lauer from the Today Show. There was one question Matt asked that I want to focus on for a minute.

Matt asked Michael if he really believed, before the games started, that he had a chance to win eight gold medals. Matt was basically saying that he didn't understand how Michael could really have thought he had a chance to win all eight events he was participating in. Michael was very gracious and politically correct in his answer by saying that he just had to come to the games and take each event one at a time and couldn't focus on winning them all. He felt he could do it but had to just deal with each one as it came.

What Michael didn't specifically say, but did imply, is that he HAD to absolutely believe he could win all eight or he had no chance of doing it. As soon as he would let himself start to doubt his ability to do it, he would be doomed. There is no way he could let it enter his mind that it was even remotely not possible.

The mind is an incredibly complex and infinite machine. Its potential to create and invent is unlimited. For Michael to accomplish what he did, he had to believe with all his heart that he would do it. What the mind can conceive it can achieve.

We can take a real lesson from Michael. We too can accomplish great things in our business and our life if we believe it without reservation. Don't let anyone tell you what you desire is not possible. People will question your ability and beliefs --just like Matt did with Michael -- but don't let that stop you. Michael refused to listen to those who doubted him and so can you.

Determine what your dreams and goals are and then go for them with everything you've got. Believe with all your heart that you will achieve it and don't listen to the naysayers. When you do this and achieve your goals there will be a sense of worth, happiness and contentment.

Congratulations Michael and thank you for the inspiration.

by Dennis Kelley
Author of Achieving Unlimited Success

Leadership – Who’s Driving Your Business?

In recent blog entries my partner, Dennis Kelley has explored the importance of leadership and mentoring. Perhaps the best first question to ask is: "Who’s driving this business?”

When business performance needs to be improved, it is wise to start the improvement process by first exploring the source of the business leadership. From our coaching experience we have found many instances, when a business is not performing, the leadership direction is unclear and is not understood by the team.

Leadership is about painting a current picture of the future in the form of a vision. Ask yourself, “Where do I see this business in 100 years?” Shape the company’s vision on the answer to the question. The common thread in all great leadership stories is the ability to create a vision and then to share the vision with the team, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. Leadership is a powerful creative tool. When embraced by business owners, a clear vision has an immense impact on the success of the business.

Corporate managers have been guided by this leadership concept for some time. Many of tomorrow’s leaders embrace this philosophy:

“Every executive, every manager, to fulfill their role, must have a vision – a vision of where the organization will be and what it will look like in the future.

They must create that vision and then share it with those reporting to them, if they are to gain a high level of employee involvement and commitment and attain a high level of productivity.”

So it is in businesses of all sizes. To succeed, the owner must paint the picture and be willing to share that vision with the team. It is from this beginning that so many success stories have evolved. And, unfortunately, it is in the absence of vision that so many businesses have failed.

Who is driving your business?

Many business owners are challenged when their future direction becomes unclear because of rapid technological changes occurring in the market. Furthermore, excellence in the level of service demanded by the customer increases as you meet yesterday’s level of expectations. The need to continue to deliver better products or services challenges the vision of leaders and the team’s mission. The unfortunate result is low morale, absenteeism and resignations, which are signs that leadership has become overwhelmed and needs to be revamped.

Increasingly, we are encountering business owners who seek help to refocus and to reignite their vision for success. With a little help many business owners are able to regain that leadership so vital to their success.

Dennis and I work everyday with clients on vision, leadership and strategy for their businesses. We’d be happy to meet and talk with you about where your business going and how to create a successful pathway.

Your Coach says -- Take A Vacation!

I spent last week with my family on Hilton Head Island. It was hot but wonderful. Vacations are such a wonderful thing. It is a chance to step back and reflect on where you are going with your life, and your business. To take some time and think back on what you have accomplished in the last year and what you need to work on.

My wife and I spent several evenings taking a long walk on the beach. The evenings were beautiful. The ocean was calm, the sand smooth and the breeze wonderful. It was very relaxing and helped me open my mind and remove all the clutter that gets in the way during our day-to-day work world. I recommend it for everyone!

As a coach, one of the things my partner, Ralph Berge, and I always recommend for our clients is to take some time off and get away from the hustle and bustle of your daily existence. Without doing this it is so easy to burn out or to lose touch with what is really important. Even if you can't get to the beach or travel someplace exotic, it is still critical to get away. Take at least a week where you do not show up at the office and don't attend to the day-to-day business. Clear your mind and re-focus on what you want and what you need to do to get it.

If you are saying, "Boy, I would love to do that but there is no way I can leave my business. If I did that my business would fall apart," then you need to make some changes to your business. Give us a call and let's talk about what is holding you back and how we can help. Vacations are as essential to the success of your business as anything else is.

As your coach I'm giving you the assignment of taking a vacation sometime before the end of the year -- you'll be glad you did.

by Dennis Kelley
Author of Achieving Unlimited Success

What Does Success Look Like?

To achieve success in life, you first must know what success is. What does success mean to you? What does it look like in your mind? Everyone must define success in his or her own terms.

Marketing messages bombard us daily trying to define success. Our popular culture works hard to sell a commercial version of “success.”

The images seen every day in the media tell you what you should own if you are truly successful. Clothing companies tell you what you should wear and how you should look. Images and messages of “successful” people and the size and style of home they live in, how big the swimming pool is and all the associated luxuries bombard us constantly.

What is your vision of success? Is it driven by images of movie stars or business tycoons? Maybe you equate success with images of sports figures. Ask people from all around the world about popular movie stars and professional athletes and you will get an immediate and enthusiastic response.

The reason movie stars and professional athletes are successful has very little to do with what they own, where they live or how much television or media coverage they get. They are successful because they decided what they wanted and went out and got it. These people thrive on their definition of success and are passionate about it.

Michael Jordan, considered the most admired sports figure in the world, achieved the highest level of success by knowing what he wanted and pursuing it with passion. However, his success did not come without a lot of hard work and effort.

Jordan was cut from the varsity team as a sophomore at his high school. “Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I’d close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it and that usually got me going again.” He eventually made the team and led it to the state championship. Jordan knew what he wanted and made it his mission to accomplish it. By staying focused on his goal, he ended up leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA Championship titles.

The common denominator of all successful people is their passion for their dream. They have defined what they want from life and are willing to do what it takes to reach their dreams. Define what you want from your life and be willing to pursue it with the same passion and commitment.

“A successful life is one that is lived through understanding and pursuing one’s path, not chasing after the dreams of others.”
- Chin-Nihn Chu

You could to choose to be like Lily Tomlin who once said, "I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific."

A life without vision is a life left to drift and take whatever is thrown your way. If you wait too long to decide what you want from life, you may look back and agree with Ms. Tomlin!

By Dennis A. Kelley

http://www.achievingunlimitedsuccess.com/

Life Can Be the Best Leadership Teacher

In my last post I talked about the importance of strong mentors in life. You can learn so much from good mentors -- especially in the area of leadership. However, the opportunity to learn leadership skills comes to us in many different ways throughout our life.

I was reminded about this today when I spoke to the leader of my son's Student Ambassador program. If you are not familiar with the Student Ambassador program, it was started in 1956 by Dwight D. Eisenhower to promote world peace through personal contacts. The program allows high school students who are selected for the program to travel to other countries and learn more about their cultures and interact with their citizens to promote cultural education.

My son has traveled through Italy, France and will be heading to the U.K. in a few days. My daughter participated in a trip with the Student Ambassadors to Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales a few years ago. This is a wonderful experience for these kids who get to participate. The benefits to these kids will last a lifetime and create memories they will cherish forever.

Today my son is in Paris and we talked to one of his leaders. She was so complimentary of him and how wonderful of a kid he is. How he is liked by everyone and has been such a positive influence on the group. In essence, she was saying that he is acting like a leader and helping to make his experience and those of people he interacts with positive as well. She went on and on about how he has helped others and offered to do things for them. Of course, I couldn't be more proud of him and there might just be a little bit of bragging going on here ... hopefully you can understand.

After this conversation I started thinking about her comments and how what she was describing were the traits of a leader. The fact is, the opportunity to learn leadership skills and practice them is around us all the time. Whenever you are in a situation with others you get to choose how you will react. Whether you are traveling, planning an event, visiting another city or country or even attending a family reunion, you get the opportunity to practice leadership skills. In groups people are always looking for someone to lead. Take advantage of these opportunities to practice how to create an environment where everyone feels important and welcomed and creates an environment of cooperation.

As a business owner, you can create this same work environment in your business. Be conscious of your actions and how you are reacting with your team to make them feel appreciated, a part of the team and motivated to do their best. Take the lead and others will follow.

by Dennis A. Kelley
Author of Achieving Unlimited Success

The Importance of Strong Mentors

Recently I had the privelege of being interviewed for an article in TheStreet.com regarding the importance of mentors in business and some of the things you should look for in a mentor. The article is titled Hunt for the Right Mentor and you can check out the article here -- http://www.thestreet.com/story/10424959/1/hunt-for-the-right-mentor.html.

Having a mentor to help you in business can be such a tremendous benefit and jump start your journey to success. Having someone who can give you an outsiders perspective, hold you accountable to accomplishing your goals, and keep you focused on what is important is a very powerful way to accomplish more than you thought possible.

My partner, Ralph Berge and I are here to help mentor you in your pursuit of your dreams. Just give us a call or send an email and let's us know how we can help.

by Coach Dennis Kelley
Author of Achieving Unlimited Success