I know, “exponentialism” is not a word, but maybe it should be.
We have entered a time in history that will be looked back upon as a great time of upheaval and transformation. It is a time of exponential growth in technology that is making obsolete entire industries at a pace that is mind-boggling.
But for every displaced industry, and every lost job, there are new opportunities as well. Not just a few, but many more than ever before. The challenge before us is just to see them.
You see, our minds are programmed to think in an incremental, progressive, and linear fashion, and the world no longer works that way. For some the angst of being left behind causes enormous stress, fear, and frustration, while for others these same conditions create new excitement. The difference between the two is the ability to open the mind and embrace a totally new paradigm.
You see, we want to “append” our existing paradigm and have that as a sufficient goal. But that can no longer work. We have reached the point — in fact passed i — where a complete paradigm shift is in order to make sense of the world as it now is. Our old thinking is broken, ineffective, and possibly even dangerous.
Many of the world’s challenges that our “old paradigm” embraces, will be solved completely by those who have made the “shift.”
The “shift” we now face is no longer how to get from one perspective to the next, but is now to embrace a perspective of ever increasing and accelerating change. A combination of infinite possibility combined with an assured accelerated obsolescence.The attempt to “hold on” to the past is painful, frustrating, and futile. The past is gone. Those who cling to the past, sadly will be left behind, and will echo mantras of the “way it used to be.” But we are not going back. In fact, it is impossible now to return as the old thinking will only increase pain, poverty, and violence.
But this is not a message of dispair, but a message of hope. The “shift” begins with a change of mind and that takes but a moment of time. Yes, new skills will be required and you may say, “it’s too late for me,” but we have all heard stories of men and women of advanced age, returning to college, or revitalizing their lives to create a personal renaissance, and enter a refreshed era of growth and excitement. That is what is needed now.
The difference is, before it was an option for those who wanted to renew life, vitality, and relevance. But not it is a necessity for survival itself. In fact, most people under the age of 65 to 70, living on this planet, have to ability and benefit to make the commitment to to embrace this change.
Change can be hard, but it does not have to be. You see what makes it hard is the attachment to, and nostalgic love of our past. The fact is, as great as it may have been, there are greater things ahead.
Long ago I embraced a life of youthful thinking and constant change. I have lived in an “unsettled” fashion to prevent attachments to points in time that are becoming irrelevant at an increasingly rapid pace. It is a great way to live. And until a future period of balance and stabilization arises, it may be the path to survival.
The solutions to tomorrow’s problems will not be solved by the same thinking that created them. It will be fresh minds and new ideas.
We are creatures of amazing resourcefulness, and creatures of survival. Fresh minds will build solutions even as many stand by and proclaim doom.
There will always be opposition, negativity, and stagnant thinking, but the future will not be built upon these. It will be built upon creativity, ingenuity, resourcefulness, advancing technology, and open minds that embrace accelerating and continual change as normal.
I am excited about tomorrow. I hope you are too and will join me in building it.
If you were asked, “What kind of manager are you?” Would you know the answer? Would you say, “I’m a great one!” If so, kudos, but what makes you a “great one?”
During my coaching sessions with business owners, I try to uncover their unique management aka leadership style. Why? Because their style can either add to, or detract from, the successes their company achieves.
Here are the three most prevalent styles I’ve come across. Do you fit into any of these?
Mr. Know It All and Has To Do It All. As a manager, chances are you either work with employees or outside vendors and if this is the case, do you let them do their jobs or do you have to be involved in and sign off on everything they do? If you are this type of manager, chances are you are not letting the people you’ve hired for their expertise do their jobs. If you’ve hired well, you don’t need to be the Know It All.
Mr. Micromanager. This is almost the same as the Know It All but even more controlling. You need to be involved in every single step and every single decision that is made. You don’t empower your people to do the tasks for which they were hired. Eventually they will start second guessing everything and eventually you will be overwhelmed by all you “have” to do simply because you took on the roll of micromanager.
Mr. We Can’t Find You When We Need Help. Just as there are those bosses that are overly involved there are those that are so laid back that employees can’t reach you when they need a decision or you simply say, “do what you think’s best.” Giving everyone free reign can lead to big issues.
Being an effective manager means not only knowing yourself but knowing your management style and changing it if necessary. Who are you?
I’ve been doing quite a bit of public speaking lately — in addition to attending many networking events and seminars. I find that some of the individuals are fantastic speakers while others are clearly nervous. What is the differentiator? I believe it’s in the preparation for the speaking gig.
Here are somethings I’ve discovered that help make me, and could help make you, a better, more poised public speaker:
Know the audience. While you won’t individually know who the audience members are, ask the organizers to let you know what the attendees are interested in. What are their fields of expertise. Once you know this nugget of information you can make sure your speech will have talking points that will speak to them.
Engage the audience. Ask questions. Make eye contact. Walk around the stage rather than stand behind a podium. Make sure you tell a story to help the audience know who you are, what you do and more importantly why you do it.
Make sure your slides or other visuals do not give all of the information you’re speaking about. You don’t want the audience spending their time taking notes rather than listening to you. Use your slides as talking points and build from the bullet point that you share with the audience.
Once the speech is over, take time to answer questions or expand upon something you’ve said that may have struck a chord with the audience. Take time to stop and shake some hands and “get to know” some of the people who have attended.
Don’t forget to thank the organizers that invited you to speak and follow up with them after the event to see how well received your information was and if they want to invite you back!
Do you have speaking as part of the services you offer? Do you feel confident as a speaker? If not, give me a call!
Suffering a failure or a set back, while frustrating, may not be the end of the world. Failure, as a matter of fact, may propel your business to even greater levels of success. It doesn’t seem to add up, but I believe it does.
Here are my reasons for believing that failing doesn’t make you, or your business idea, a failure:
Failing means you tried something new. You’re growing, expanding and keeping yourself open to new ideas
Failing means that you’re always learning. You’re not happy with doing things the way they’ve always been done. You want to take an old idea and try a new spin
Failing means that you are taking action and moving your business forward. You’re not allowing yourself or your business to stagnate
If you don’t take a chance and throw that dart at the board how will you know if you’re going to hit a bull’s eye? When did you last fail and what lessons did you learn?
Do you have fond memories of working for a company that provide you with a bonus package or a bonus check at holiday or review time? Do you feel that bonus packages will incentivize your employees? In many cases a bonus plan can backfire on the company if it’s not done with planning and forethought.
What should you consider when contemplating a bonus plan? Here are my thoughts:
What is the objective of the bonus compensation? Is it a profit sharing? Something anticipated for a “job well done” or “X number of new clients or dollars brought in”? If your bonuses are tied in with revenue growth or bottom line profits, then bot you and the employee win.
Do you want to provide a bonus based on enhance efficiencies within the company? Do you have a plan in place for reducing the cost of overhead or manufacturing line items? Can you put metrics with that and tie it into a bonus plan?
Do you reward employees for innovative ideas? Is it a set amount per idea? An amount if the idea is implemented with success?
Acknowledging employees for stellar customer service should be part of your business plan. Customers are the lifeblood of any business and if you have an employee that nurtures clients, that should be rewarded.
The type of bonus plan you implement is as unique as the company that you oversee. However, letting your employees know that if they go “above and beyond” and that there could be additional compensation because of it maybe a great motivator for your team.
We’re past the rush of the holidays and have settled into the first couple of days of the New Year. It’s sometimes easy to feel deflated once the hustle and bustle is over and in many parts of the country you’re facing long winter days with limited sunlight. What can you do? I will admit that because I am in Arizona I have a bit of an advantage and access to almost year-round sunshine and the ability to hike and bike, but if you don’t what can you do?
As a business owner and coach I can see how both you and your employees might be battling the post holiday blues, so here are my tips for kicking off 2014 with a happy, healthy attitude:
Be realistic with your resolutions or expectations for the year ahead. Did you know that many of us make resolutions and then break them before January is even over? Be detailed and realistic with goals and you will have a better chance of sticking with it and attaining them.
Be physically active and healthy overall and this will help you power through. If you can’t get outside to take a walk then do short bursts of exercise right inside your office. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Eat more fruits and vegetables and fewer salty or sugary snacks. As business owners we need to be healthy both mentally and physically.
Take a breath. I am a big advocate of self-care. There are several times throughout the workday when I will simply walk away from my desk and find a quiet spot to simply breathe and focus my energies. This helps me when I go back to my desk and my clients because I am energized and reinvigorated.
Did you make resolutions and do you think they are attainable and realistic? We’d love to hear!
