Changing the World through Business By Changing How Business is Done
Welcome
This is Catherine Rocheleau, founder of Ignite Leadership International speaking to you from my outside office. I hope you will enjoy this short video on what summer offers you, as a business leader, so you too can ignite results! Let’s Ignite Summer together! Click here to learn more or book a complimentary call using the button in below and we’ll chat!
I have always found that the summer is a great time for business owners, execut
ives, managers and professionals to take advantage
According to Peter Drucker, business leaders should “attack the problem of increasing business effectiveness systematically—with a plan of action, with a method of analysis, and with an understanding of the tools he needs.”
I love having more time in my day to look back at what I’ve accomplished in my business, identify what’s working, and what’s not. Having quieter, and structured days in the summer allow me to make the changes needed to reignite and improve results, I’m also able to innovate, plan and create new programs and more.
My goal is always work smarter not longer in the summer so I can take advantage of the long days and warmer weather.
To help you I’ve created this new program “Ignite Summer”
This beta program has now launched! Space is limited and the time is ticking — We start on June 15/15.
If you’re like me and you want to be more productive, make more money, save time and reignite business you’ll want to join me!
Decide what you want .. believe you can have it, believe you deserve it, believe it’s possible for you. Unknown
This is a great start. Knowing what you want to do really helps your get started. Yet, many of my clients claim they know where they want to go but are still stuck and unable to make their vision a reality. Yes, a good vision can be a stumbling block for many.
If you aren’t clear on what you want, try writing down ideas – which one(s) stand out as worth pursuing? Which one(s) ignite your passion and energize you? This exercise will give you an idea of what you want.
Next, visualize it.
I love to see what it is I want to achieve. To do this, I have created a vision board (dream board). A vision board helps to 
visually remind you of what your goals and dreams are. Once created, its important to see frequently each day. Your vision board subtly imprints your goals and dreams into your subconscious (in a good way!). Where will you hang your vision board?
“All men [and women] of action are dreamers.” – James Huneker
What would you put on a vision board? Visual images, words or symbols that reflect what it is you want to achieve, what you hold dear and what you want more of. Don’t forget to include things that are a big stretch!
Your vision board can be focused on your career, your business or your personal aspirations. I created my dream board in a way that focuses on both my business and personal goals. Because getting more balance in my life is important to me, having both integrated into one vision board helps me keep this focus front and centre. Both aspects are important and can be achieved simultaneously.
Remember you want to think big! I have a cheque for a million dollars on my vision board! I’m determined to achieve that payday before I retire! What’s a big stretch goal for you?
Remember…
If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it. – William Arthur Ward
Every quarter I take time to review my progress and accomplishments to the goals I set at the beginning of the year. Goal setting is critical for me to move my business forward and to transition it into new and exciting areas.
Staying on target with your bigger goals can be challenging — particularly when LIFE gets in the way! I have found a solution to help me with this very thing – my business journal.
Every day when I write in my journal I am reminded about what I did that day, what is still left for tomorrow, thoughts and ideas that passed through my mind, and who I connected with.
I’m not a person who has had a personal diary throughout my life. Instead, my journalling started when I was trying to find a system that would allow me to stay focused and on target – not just with the day to day side of my business, but with the bigger picture!
I also found that as good as journalling was for me, I couldn’t keep making the big strides I’ve set for myself so I reached out and now I also belong to a mastermind group and a coaching program. These options help me hone and fine-tune my actions and to continue my learning process and growth trajectory.
Business journalling offers your an opportunity to reflect on what you’ve learned, remember the decisions you’ve made and why you made them, keep track of what works and what doesn’t, record insights, ideas and more.
I share this information with you because you may want to achieve more and yet the results of your efforts are falling short, or you feel frustrated because the pace is too slow or you feel alone and unsupported. We all can experience these feelings at one time or another but its up to you to take the necessary action to change the situation.
A complimentary business assessment session offers you an opportunity to focus on where you are now and the key action steps you can take to achieve your goals.
How often have we been told that you must visualize what you want or you will never get there? One of the 7 habits by Stephen Covey in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People was
“Start with the end in mind.”
If you want to make a change, you have to know what it is you want to do. (Your Vision) To create a clear vision it’s important to step up and have an open mind for new opportunities and ways of doing things. This may take some time and energy but its time well spent!
I have been working with my clients to create action plans so they can complete their project goals in a very tight timeline. The planning process has gone exceptionally well but sometimes it can be very challenging. This is where time spent gaining clarity in what you want to accomplish is so important. If you aren’t specific with the outcome, how can you plan the steps to get you there?
I love the Deming Cycle as a tool for planning and executing projects. This management tool has four key phases… “Plan Do Check Act“. PDCA, also known as PDSA (Plan Do Study Act), offers businesses a proven method to control and manage the processes and systems within their organization for continuous quality improvement (CQI). Who doesn’t want to continually be more productive (get more done), be more efficient (use people and other resources better) and improve results (make more money)?
Here is a breakdown of the steps in the PDCA cycle (as outlined in wikipedia)
Establish the objectives and processes necessary to deliver results in accordance with the expected output (the target or goals). By establishing output expectations, the completeness and accuracy of the specification is also a part of the targeted improvement. When possible start on a small scale to test possible effects.
Implement the plan, execute the process, make the product. Collect data for charting and analysis in the following “CHECK” and “ACT” steps.Every time you create something new you want to test it. This is the purpose of this step. Test your new system, new program or product. Identify what’s working, what needs tweeking, what’s not working and needs to be fixed.
Study the actual results (measured and collected in “DO” above) and compare against the expected results (targets or goals from the “PLAN”) to ascertain any differences. Look for deviation in implementation from the plan and also look for the appropriateness and completeness of the plan to enable the execution, i.e., “Do”. Charting data can make this much easier to see trends over several PDCA cycles and in order to convert the collected data into information. Information is what you need for the next step “ACT”.
Request corrective actions on significant differences between actual and planned results. Analyse the differences to determine their root causes. Determine where to apply changes that will include improvement of the process or product. When a pass through these four steps does not result in the need to improve, the scope to which PDCA is applied may be refined to plan and improve with more detail in the next iteration of the cycle, or attention needs to be placed in a different stage of the process.”
When you’ve been good at something one way its hard to change — Get uncomfortable, push outward and fulfill your full potential. To be competitive in the marketplace, or to fulfill the strategic plan for your business, it is important for you to lead yourself and your team through a clear process to achieve the results in the most efficient and productive way. Planning is often under performed.
A good plan should:
Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you ready or not, to put this plan into action.
Napoleon Hill
A Coach or mentor is a valuable resource to help you become clear on what you want to achieve, understanding all the steps you must take to get there, and to identify which resources are needed. A Coach can also support you when things are challenging, and better yet, celebrate with you when you are successful!! They can be your confident, sounding board, resource and help you remain focused on your goal. We offer a “done for you” and a “done with you” option to fit your specific needs.
It’s been said that of all people
who say they’re ready
for change,
only 20% of them
are ready for action.
Are You Ready?
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Catherine Rocheleau, Founder & CEO of Ignite Leadership International ® helps business leaders and entrepreneurs build leadership, engage teams and enhance systems so they keep more of what they are making! Our coaching, consulting and masterminds focus on your goals and the systems that drive your results! Book a complimentary Ignite Your Business Session to explore your next steps (http://bit.ly/NextSteps4U)
I love learning about the different celebrations around the world. Today is Cinco de Mayo. I had the opportunity several years ago to celebrate this day in San Diego, CA. We enjoyed some Mexican dancing and demonstrations followed by a delicious Mexican dinner.
Did you know that Cinco de Mayo is more popular in the USA and other parts of the world than it is in Mexico? Contrary to popular belief it is not a celebration of Mexican Independence Day (which occurs in mid- September). Instead it commemorates a victory by Mexican troops in La Batalla de Puebla on May 5, 1862. Amazingly this battle occurred approximately 50 years after Mexican independence was achieved.
Cinco de Mayo is now considered a celebration of “victory in the face of great odds.” I think that today should be a day we, in the business community, should also celebrate our own victories and accomplishments.
You may have experienced economic challenges, employee lay-offs, recruitment challenges, shifts in how you engage customers or even generational diversity within your team. No matter what that challenge was, you made it through! Celebrate!
Allow yourself to put a positive spin on your business or career accomplishments. Recognize where you are heading and from whence you came. Thinking of these positives can be the spark you need to keep hitting the reset button for personal and business successes!
And a Proud Pledge Holder
Did You Know we Donate more than 1% of Gross Revenues to Charity as part of our
More Than Green Program
