Well, there went February, and those doldrums are still here! We continue to experience it in our economy, political landscape, healthcare dilemma, real estate and job markets, and even our weather. And you wondered how much it can really snow?! Surprise! What in the world is going on? And..we are still in the water splashing around. Maybe the Olympics’ are a significant indication of how strong we really are, and that we truly are winners.

But…what does it really take in our businesses? Do the words Creativity and Innovation mean anything to you? Because, that is exactly what it takes. Our world has turned upside down and so we ‘cannot solve our new problems with the same thinking that got us here’.* We are no longer on the upswing, but in the downhill race to the finish. So, polish up your creative juices, figure out what it’s going to take to innovate these new ideas, and get moving!

Markets are widened by fulfilling these new needs, which tends to stimulate even newer ones. Responding with speed and intensity is the name of the game. The ability to shift your resources and focus on new areas can create an instant competitive advantage. And, remember, big companies are more sluggish in their ability to make changes. Take advantage and take calculated risks! Stay ahead of the curve or be left behind. Think Apple, Netflix, and those companies that keep reinventing themselves and blowing the lid off of the market. You can do it too! Yes you can!!

The internet and cable TV cannot satisfy the increasing demand for personalized items and options. YOU CAN! There is evidence of an escalating demand for diverse products and services that need to be provided in smaller quantities. Does this grab your attention?

We have done enough looking in the rearview mirror! STOP looking at your spreadsheets, and START spending your time, money and energy on Think Tanks and innovative ideas, then turn them into real products and services. How creative can you be? Why don’t you find out?

Be open to the future. Our country has always been visionary. It was founded on that and it is in our USA/DNA. Your grandfather’s did it, so it’s also in your DNA! Don’t sit on the sidelines and watch the parade go by. What part will you play? Partner up; form alliances and make it happen. How can you compete in a superfast world? Create a culture of innovation in your realm of influence. Use the diversity that is around you for fresh, new ideas – age, cultural and racial differences, genders, different professions, creative designers/artists/animators, etc. Stop playing defense. It’s not just about cutting costs; it’s about creating new opportunities. How are you selling? Can you do it differently? Do you make it easy to do business with you? Does your entire business model need to be updated? The real risk is DOING NOTHING!

Efficiency comes in small packages; you are close to the action and know what it takes to build a stronger, more vibrant, and maybe even different looking business. The time is NOW and has never been better. The old ways are crumbling, but take a lesson from nature, that is just compost for new, stronger, more vibrant growth. Go for it!

*Albert Einstein

John Marshall

In times of uncertainty ‐‐ and could there be any better description of now? – we all flounder. Everyone is looking around to see if anyone knows anything they don’t! Everyone is looking around to try to get a hint of where we are heading. EVERYONE IS LOOKING AROUND FOR A LEADER.

It is in times of uncertainty that true leadership emerges. This is especially true in our business lives. Your employees have this imagined belief that YOU know more than they do. They look to YOU for answers, even when they don’t even know how to frame the question. THEY LOOK TO YOU FOR LEADERSHIP.

Hold on tight, for I know that you don’t have the answers either. But, here are some behaviors you can easily portray every day at work that will help to eliminate the tension and fear of the unknown. Here are some behaviors that will foster everyone’s ability to focus on the business and create a positive impact on the bottom line.

Here are 10 leadership behaviors:

1. Set a clear vision and turn your people on! Energize them! It’s really all about them.
2. Communicate that vision, every single day. Say it so many times that people can recite it in their sleep!
3. Create a team environment – when one person wins, we all win!
4. Inspire your people and celebrate all things positive, no matter how small.
5. Make it fun to work in your company, no matter how dismal the economic climate.
6. Tell the truth.
7. Always be on the lookout for great ideas. Embrace them, as well as new ways of doing and seeing things. So what if they didn’t come from you? A great idea is a great idea and one that will propel your business forward! And, make sure to give credit where it is due.
8. Find people who love to win and make winning fun.
9. Surround yourself with great people and work with people who are better and smarter than you.
10. Display passion for products and customers and let it show! Over-deliver and make it hard to want to do business with your competitor!

You can do it! The Time is Now!

…time to create a strong, centered organization. That’s what leadership does, and that’s what you can do to ensure that everyone is marching toward your vision and business goals, no matter what the landscape presents.

Well…

we now have a new currency, and it is RELATIONSHIPS! That’s right…relationships are the aspects of our businesses that keep us alive.

Small business owners have an advantage right now.

1. You can move faster to make changes and decisions within your company
2. You can make strategic purchases, like buying the building you have been leasing, or buying a competitors business
3. You can take this slow time to do a business SWOT* analysis so that you sharpen your competitive advantage and perhaps do away with lost productivity or redundancies
4. You can negotiate wisely for hiring great talent, using your advertising budget to stretch farther, and make deals on your core merchandise
5. Invest in building your brand recognition – really get that out into the market place
6. And…work with a good, business Coach who will shorten your time to reach your goals and success
7. Yes, using your time, money and energy wisely to be ready for the coming upturn of the economy. Think of it…you’ll be at the top of your game!

*Analyzing and create strategic decisions around your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats

The economy seems to be moving toward a ‘feel better’ state, but it is not there yet. People continue to be very cautious about spending. Short sales in the real estate market are still abounding, with more inventory than there are buyers. Banks are still closing and new ones emerging out of mergers and acquisitions.

We all find ourselves in this in-between place. with nothing to hold onto and no roadmap to help us find our way. Everything we knew and depended upon has turned upside down. How do we navigate this and come out on the positive side of success?

What we know: There is no normal – what we experienced as our normal has either totally been swept away, or is morphing into something new, and as yet, undefined.

What can we do? Be smart and use all of the knowledge and wisdom we can glean to create our own future. So the BIG QUESTION r e a l l y is:

WHAT CAN YOU DO RIGHT NOW TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE and be ready for the new economic surge when we turn that corner?

Here are 7 ideas to ponder under the umbrella of DIFFERENTIATING your business from your competitor:

1. PRICE – be cautious NOT to be the cheapest. Psychologically — right or wrong — people equate least expensive with poor quality. Don’t make that mistake! Do your homework and be very competitive with your pricing, as well as flexible with your customers. In other words, negotiate when it is appropriate.
2. QUALITY – this is the key to establishing your branding; DO NOT COMPROMISE here! ALWAYS, always, always, give the highest quality of goods and services possible. Your future depends on that reputation in the marketplace.
3. SERVICE – here’s something that should be easy for you to offer your best. In this time of stress and economic white waters we are all still navigating, service provides that extra inch of ‘feel good’, the comfort ‘food’ of buying; so…ratchet it up! Go the extra! And don’t stop until you WOW your customers and they tell you so unsolicited.
4. BUNDLING – what merchandise/services can you combine for an excellent value to your clients/customers? Can you partner with your colleagues and business neighbors? How can you create an excellent value for customers that they cannot get anywhere else?
5. CREATE A ONE STOP SHOPPING EXPERIENCE — What can you offer that you are not already? What are people looking for– asking for – that will add value to what they are buying?
6. MAKE IT EASY TO BUY FROM YOU – create a no hassle buying environment; pleasant, comfortable, and an extraordinary customer shopping experience so that they beat a path to your door. Go back to basics when shop owners knew everyone’s name and information about their family, etc. birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, births, vacations – start a new file and give out coupons; in fact, partner with a local restaurant or other establishment so that you support each other’s businesses. Get creative!
7. UNIQUENESS – what can you offer that no one else can? What makes you different?

7 keys to Building Your Future

1. The ability to see the invisible. We have to create our own reality and destination. Sure there will be detours, road blocks, mountains to climb, bridges to cross, and we don’t know where and when they will emerge. But, manifesting your own future, exactly as you want it, will create your roadmap. So, let your mind explore all that you want the future to hold for you – no holding back! Yes, only those who can see the invisible can do the impossible.
2. Turn your vision into tangible goals. Make it real; not just a ‘dream’. Work towards it every single day. Inch by inch. And, be SMART about it! *Specific Measurable Attainable Results Oriented Time Bound * Use this SMART model to carve out what you want, what you want it to look like, and where you want to go.
3. Communicate. That’s right! Don’t keep it to yourself. Tell everyone, and especially those who work for you and with you. You will create accountability for yourself. Paint a clear, verbal picture so that your staff and co-workers can see it too. In fact, they can support you in making it a reality.
4. Staying power. That wind is going to blow; those roadblocks will come up; those detours and slow downs are inevitable on any journey. Count on them! And when they show up, identify them. ‘Yep. Here they are’ but, stay the course. No matter what you hear and see; no matter what the newscasters say, or any naysayers near you, filter it out and stay focused…even in the face of doubt.
5. Identify the day-to-day steps. Take that vision and turn it into action. What do you need to do right now, today, to get closer to it becoming a reality? DO IT! Put it down on paper and read it every day. An airline pilot may have flown the same flight plan 100 times, but reads it each trip as if it were the first. Many things bombard our thinking each day. READ IT in the morning, and READ IT in the evening. Your mind is a powerful instrument and it will make it happen.
6. Plan. Write your plans daily, weekly, monthly. When you enter your place of business, they are the first things you should see and read. They are your flight plan! 7. SMILE. That’s right! Your body language says it all. When you smile you engage your happy muscles and your mind catches on. It’s contagious. People around you usually smile back, and so you create a pleasant environment even in these tough economic waters. Nothing is more powerful than someone reflecting confidence in the face of uncertainty.

NOW – make it happen! And let me know when you get there!

It is also much more than just an image of your future. Vision motivates and shapes meaning. It gives purpose to the work and inspires commitment. It answers the questions:

It provides a picture of your desired future and encourages people to strive for its attainment with a promise that there is something in it for everyone!

In short, having a vision:

1. Energizes people and focuses their commitment
2. Creates meaning in everyday work life
3. Establishes a standard of excellence
4. Bridges the present to the future
5. Transcends the status quo

Numbers 4 and 5 are significant in today’s erratic world. It is your daily job as the leader to refocus everyone’s thinking, since the world is a scary place right now. Vision gives them the promise that as everyone pulls together and works hard toward a bigger and better future, you will be successful. All great leaders have done this.

SHARED VISION

Vision encourages everyone to join the campaign and be part of realizing the desired new state. It forms a bond between leadership and workers. This all magnifies to increase the possibilities of the vision, which would be an empty dream without complete involvement. Vision comes alive only when shared. It takes everyone to a new place and challenges them as they translate that vision into reality. All changes begin with a mental picture. It is really a necessity, for without it everyone is adrift in confusion or conflicting priorities. It focuses the collective energies of your organization on results.

The leader manages that journey in three stages:

1. Creating an image of the desired future
2. Providing clear, concise, consistent communication
3. Empowering all to play their part

THE HOW TO’S OF DEVELOPING A VISION

• Know your organization – clarify its nature and purpose
• Involve critical individuals
• Explore all possibilities
• Put it in writing

A word of caution: without action, a vision is merely a dream!

Action plans are crucial to the success of your vision. Bring it to life so that everyone understands how what they do plays a part in the bigger picture. Everyone must know their value in attaining the vision, and everyone must understand their contribution to success.

“It is management that deals directly with the most difficult part of any business every single minute of every day” – people.

• It is our managers who are the engine of business.
• It is our managers who make the wheels turn and generate the fuel to move things forward.
• It is our managers who are responsible to motivate, plan, organize, create/oversee processes, and monitor and control all aspects of the businesses that we run.

What gets done is the function of Leadership, whose focus is external toward the marketplace; how things get done, is dependent upon the expertise of management. We all know when we are in an establishment that is managed well, whether it is a restaurant, a retail store, a shipping store, a gas station, a hospital, or a Dr.’s office. Everyone seems to know what they are doing. Their behavior demonstrates the company values – how they greet you, the processes that are in place, and how efficiently they do their work. It is either seamless, and appears effortless; or is it chaotic and confusing. And doesn’t that dictate to us, the consumer, whether or not we want to do business with them again?

Management is an art and a science and a learnable skill.

Within this framework, there seems to be a universal problem that exists: when someone excels in their individual contributor position, they frequently are promoted into management. But, here’s the dirty little secret – THEY ARE DIFFERENT SKILLS!!!! We would not ask someone who can drive a car to pilot a plane. Why then, do we assume that if you excel in one area of the business, you automatically can become a manager managing the most difficult part of the business?

As extraordinary as we are as human beings, doing extraordinary things like landing men on the moon and bringing them home again, why does this concept seem to escape most business organizations?

Listen up Leaders – managers truly are the engine of your company. Do not assume that this multifaceted position comes naturally. It does not! It requires training – give it to them! It requires resources! Give it to them! It requires constant support. Give it to them! Listen to them and give them what they need so that YOUR business can be successful.

It has been proven that people do not leave companies, they leave managers. So… create a business environment that can run effectively and where leadership and management are partners in the company’s success.

So, what’s around the corner? As we wind down this year (and are probably glad to see it go)…what are we winding up?

And…what have we learned along the way? That we don’t need all that we thought we did; that we are, truly, all in this together; that relationships are absolutely the new currency; and that new consumer habits have developed along the way. I’m sure you can add to this list. As business people it is extremely important that we pay attention to these new habits. We are all more cautious in our buying and spending; we all want a good value for each and every dollar we trade for goods and services; and we are willing to take our time and do some shopping. We are well informed consumers — no more impulse spending; no more off-the-cuff decisions. We all want the best ROI we can get on each and every purchase.

What can/do you offer that will have people blazing a trail to your door? How creative and innovative can you be in your offers to consumers? What alliances can you build that will make it easy for people to stretch their dollar? They want good value, not cheap merchandise or shoddy services. They want to know that you care about them with each and every purchase they make.

So, invest in tomorrow each morning that you open the doors of your business. Make it easy for people to buy, and create pleasurable experiences. Prioritize your time and energy and live with intention. Tap into the new consumer markets, and educate yourself. It’s a new era and the wisest of us will flourish.

Here are just a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

1. Reward referrals

2. Reward loyalty

3. Align with other complimentary type businesses and/or professionals

4. Form and build solid relationships

5. Create easy pay plans

6. Entertain your customers/clients

7. Create a monthly event

8. Bundle your services

9. Create a relaxed, pleasurable business environment

10. Provide an up- lifting experience

Wishing you all a very happy holiday season