Changing the World through Business By Changing How Business is Done
Last week I had the honour of being a guest on Worldwide Business with Kathy Ireland. I travelled to Hollywood CA to the CBS Television City studios. It was such an amazing experience and I can’t wait to share the full interview with everyone. It is now being edited and will air in early 2017.
Here is the Facebook Live video that was shared at the end of taping…
How high do you set your personal and business standards? Do you really reach for the stars and take actions to realize those goals, or are you more inclined to set more attainable goals that are “realistic” and less risky?
For the most part, I set the bar pretty high for myself and I’m pretty committed to reaching and exceeding my goals and performance standards. This doesn’t come without a few challenges and set-backs but I haven’t stayed in business for over 25 years by always playing it safe.
A problem is a chance for you to do your best. Duke Ellington
Over the years I have come to realize that most successful business leaders also set their goals high, take the risks and capitalize on the opportunities which move them forward toward these lofty goals. As a result they achieve what many believe to be exceptional successes.
A mastermind group is one place where you can connect with other high achievers. The benefit of a mastermind group is how you can leverage the knowledge, experience and insights of other members of the group to drive your goals forward. A mastermind can provide a solid, safe place to face your fears, brainstorm ideas and celebrate your successes.
One of my previous mastermind groups consisted of experienced entrepreneurs who had each been in business for over 5 years and were continuing to grow and develop into new areas. This success was reflective of success they achieved while in school and in their prior careers.
In order to achieve your goals and dreams, each member of your group sets business and personal goals that will move you forward and allow us to grow. These are stretch goals.
Stretch goals are commonly referred to in the business world as a way to achieve more. Stretch goals require a person or business to ambitiously extend itself beyond what seems realistic within current parameters.
Many years ago I read an article written by John Miller. Miller wrote about the conflict between stretch goals and smart goals. Here is the acronym he presented to explain how the two fit together:
“S = SMART goals that
T = teach an organization how to
R = reach higher levels of performance by
E = engaging everyone in
T = testing hypotheses through
C = cross-functional cooperation
H = in a humane fashion.”
Setting the bar high should be reflected in your performance as well. Is the quality of the product you offer your customers reflective of your standards? Continuous quality improvement will
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occur when you continually reassess current systems, standards and outcomes and then set the bar higher. Rejig to keep things current, and to maintain quality and performance — it also keeps life challenging and interesting!
You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don’t win, at least you can be satisfied that you’ve tried. If you don’t accept failure as a possibility, you don’t set high goals, you don’t branch out, you don’t try – you don’t take the risk. Rosalynn Carter
Elevating operations, goals, expectations and deliverables takes planning and dedicated effort. A Coach or Mentor or Mastermind Group can help make you stretch and achieve your goals by keeping you accountable. A VIP Day Strategy Session is another great way to gain clarity, stretch your goals and create the action plan you can implement immediately to reap the rewards of your vision.
I challenge you to raise the bar in business and your own life and reap the rewards that follow.
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In the book, The Winning Way, co-authored with Brian Tracy, I described three key attributes for good leaders — Communicate, Calculate and Delegate. It is interesting that this week I was faced with situations where clients were experiencing challenges all related 
to letting go and allowing their team take on the responsibility and ability to get the job done.
Delegation — the act of passing a task or responsibility along to others, most commonly to people who are below you on the totem pole.
Delegation isn’t just a top down action. In fact, delegation happens in all directions. for example, my clients delegate projects and responsibility to me as their consultant (external delegation), a committee may delegate action items to specific departments or positions within an organization. Delegation happens between colleagues and collaborating departments too. When teams, from the leader on down, are engaged and share in the goals and vision of an organization, delegation is a fundamental component and can be a “make-it or break-it” facet of the results achieved.
I recently hired a new virtual assistant and I have been in the process of letting go of tasks I’ve been doing over the past few months. This involves a change of thinking and planning. My VA is eager to take on whatever I’ll send her way. She’s also eager to assume role that offers me more value, and saves me time and effort. What’s stopping me … bad habits! Yes, its true. I’m so used to just doing it all that I forget to delegate.
This week was a pivot point for us. My failure to effectively delegate was stopping both of us from being successful! A great conversation where we shared, clarified and planned our next steps opened new doors. My “aha” including the realization that I wasn’t afraid my V.A. couldn’t do the job correctly. Instead, it was a failure to communicate what was in my head when I realized something needed to be done.
Do you delegate what and when you should, or do you fall prey to the common trap of “if I do it myself it will be done right” or only delegate tasks you don’t like doing?
Delegation, when done right will enhance morale, build trust and facilitate success for yourself, your team and your organization.
Have you ever wished you had the time to dream a little on how you can up-level your business, land that bigger project or switch gears? Maybe you are feeling stuck or too entrenched in the status quo, or you have a vision but just don’t seem to find the time to actually get things moving in the right direction.
Whether its a perceived lack of time, clarity and focus, uncertainty on how to move forward, or other obstacles that are stopping you from reaching your goals, a VIP Day Intensive may be a solution that can change your future! Reaching your dreams and making your vision a reality takes commitment, a willingness to push yourself outside your comfort zone and support from others never hurt.
Really, most of us just focus on what’s in front of us. We’re too busy putting out the fires of everyday life. Aidan Quinn
Is your Vision eluding You?
When setting goals and a vision, it is recommended to stretch to new heights to help you grow and be more
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successful. Why does your vision elude you if you are willing to do what it takes to reach it? Is your vision so lofty it’s unrealistic?
Interestingly enough, most successful business leaders I work with do not lack for ideas of what they want to achieve, nor do they have goals and visions that are so lofty they can’t attain them. In fact, the opposite is true – they have an abundance of great goals and most turn those goals into reality. Yet, there are always those goals that elude even the most successful.
Why does this happen?
“People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.” Norman Vincent Peale
Why can a VIP Day Intensive be the Right Solution?
When you have a lofty or stretch goal or vision, you see the bigger picture – what it looks like, how you will feel, what you can do differently, why its important to you, etc. The place where you may be getting stuck is on the steps between what IS today and what WILL BE tomorrow.
A VIP Day Intensive is a highly focused session that focuses on what you want to achieve. Together with your Coach, you get really clear on what that looks like but more importantly you work backwards identifying the milestones, and action steps that are necessary to make it happen.
The success of a VIP Day comes from the momentum that you can build from this dedicated time and focus. Imagine spending over 6 hours on this one vision! You will identify the steps you need to take, the tools and resources that will help you along the way, the people who can support you, and how to navigate potential obstacles that may appear along the way. Your Coach is skilled to help you explore, dig deeper, shift gears and squeeze out every gem so that you can implement your plan immediately and achieve your vision sooner!
At the end of your Intensive, you will be energized and motivated to reach this vision. You will walk away with a roadmap and a strong understanding of what you will implement tomorrow, next week and next month and beyond. Most importantly you will recognize your achievements and know how to celebrate these successes along the way.
Many people don’t focus enough on execution. If you make a commitment to get something done, you need to follow through on that commitment. Kenneth Chenault
As a Delegate member of the International Women’s Leadership Association, I was thrilled this summer when I was asked to write an article for the Fall 2016 issue of their Inspirational 
Women’s 
Magazine. I was equally excited about the magazine’s theme for this issue, “Trust“.
When I was asked, my mind began to explode with all of the things I could share about trust. It is such an integral component to our individual and business success and too often it is not given enough credit or consideration. When trust is lost, the cost is enormous and often not reversible.
The September 2016 issue of the Inspirational Women’s Magazine was just released and I loved the articles, insights and nuggets shared in the magazine. Its amazing to read the differing ways each author, and every quote or story reflect on this topic.
I am sharing the issue with you. I hope you will find it inspiring and insightful.
Click Here to Read This Issue My article is on Page 24.
I am sure many of you remember when the newswire was buzzing with the lone-wolf behaviour of one of the (Canadian) Tenors during the signing of Canada’s national anthem at a All-Star baseball game in San Diego in July. During the anthem, Tenor Remigio Pereira substituted words to make a political statement. This change was made without prior knowledge of his fellow quartet members. The backlash has been huge and now the future of the Tenors is in question.
In this instance, one member of the group took it upon himself to act on his own, w
ithout permission or the support of his fellow teammates, to express his own political belief. Not only
were his actions self-motivated, but the timing of his message was poor and the desired result not what he intended.
This is a very public example of how one member of a team can have a significant impact on the team. In the case of the Tenors, trust was broken, member of the group no longer want to perform with Mr. Pereira, and their future must now be re-created.
Within most businesses, there are teams which are key to creating and sustaining the business, its reputation with customers and its internal culture, to name only a few factors. When someone on a team does something rogue these three steps can help salvage the situation.
Sometimes you can’t repair the damage done and a break-up is the right thing to do. When this happens, the swift action, transparency and follow-through will help you re-focus on the future and take the right steps forward.
We have lots of experience assisting organizations during and after a critical incident. Contact us to learn how we many assist you.
With the 2016 Olympics now on our door step and I’m very excited. I’m an avid Olympics fan. I love watching everything. Celebrating the wins and recognizing the efforts of every athlete regardless of the medal count. Each country creates a team of athletes who have a common purpose – to represent their country and deliver their best effort in their sport at each and every event.
The motivation and focus of these athletes to the team vision is amazing. We see other teams like those of the CFL, NHL or NFL or NBA more regularly. Due to the longer-term focus needed, these teams can demonstrate ups and downs similar to those of us in the workplace. Team dynamics reflect the mindset, effort and productivity of each and every member of the team.
Team dynamics are defined as the unconscious factors that influence how teams interact, communicate and work together to a common goal.
Team dynamics are impacted by the different personalities in the team and the behaviours each team member brings to the job. Athletes are highly motivated talented individuals who are competitive and want to win. Losing is not ok. Working and travelling in a close environment, 
along with pressures from owners, coaches, team mates, the media and fans , as well as families, all come into play in how well a team can create and maintain positive dynamics that allow them to reach their goal.
In the business world, not every employee on a team may have the same inner motivation found on a professional hockey team. Your team may consist of more leaders than followers, particularly at an executive level, or people who are not completely aligned with the team’s (committee’s) focus and purpose.
When this happens how can you, as the manager or team leader better understand their lack of “buy-in” and help them become engaged and a valuable asset to the team?
Every team is brought together to accomplish a goal. Does every member of the team know and understand the vision and purpose of the team, and how their actions will make a difference?
Just think of a committee in your workplace. How many people sit on that committee because “they have to”. It’s just part of the job description but they’d rather not be there. Do they complain that its a waste of time? Are they commenting on how their suggestions are ignored? Are team members engaged and kept accountable to participate and take action? When these situation exist, a lack of vision and purpose probably exist.
As the team leader, its important for you to understand what each person on your team is thinking and if they are on-board with the vision and purpose. People always want to know where they are going and why its important. Recognize their efforts and dissenting comments and take the necessary steps to get them back on board.
This may seem like the obvious but all to often the team leader fails to keep communication open.
Communication is more than telling people what to do and when. Instead it includes conversations with the team collectively, as well as with each individual team member.
A leaders role is to inspire others to think strategically within the terms of reference of the team/committee. When you help them see the big picture, they are better able to understand how their role fits in and can make a difference.
Listening to the different perspectives and suggestions is critical. It’s not your role to be right. It’s your role to lead the team to the right outcome. Sometimes your original plan needs to be reassessed along the way when new information comes to light.
“Deep and sustainable change…requires changes in behavior among those who do not welcome the change.” ? Douglas B. Reeves
Is your team lacking focus? Do you want to identify ways to better lead your team to be more productive and engaged? Contact us to see how our solutions may assist you.
I am a strong advocate of mastermind or peer mentoring groups for every one. In fact, I have participated in a mastermind group or two every year in the past 20 years. A mastermind group is your Success Team, Board of Advisors, and Confidant. Together you work together for your collective success.
Whether you want to grow your career, advance your business, initiate changes in your department or keep yourself accountable to your goals, a mastermind can help you. The father of the mastermind, Napoleon Hill (and author of Think and Grow Rich), described a mastermind group as
“The coordination of knowledge and effort in a spirit of harmony,
between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.”
In an article, “The Benefits of Belonging to a CEO Group”, author Christopher Haan discussed how a peer mentoring group can help you manage your business and your better. The same can be said for managing your career. In his article, Haan states that participants in a mastermind or peer mentoring group must be ”active participants …– doers, not just listeners”. Mastermind participants who are CEOs, executives, or leaders participate because they are most likely not always going to hear what they need to hear from employees, the Board of Directors or colleagues, he says. “They come because people will tell them what they need to hear, not just what they want to hear. They really like having an objective sounding board of CEOs whose only agenda is to help you and your business get better.”
When you join a mastermind group you have an opportunity to join a select group of motivated and dedicated business leaders who are open and willing to take the steps toward collective success. Each participant brings their knowledge, skills, experience and insights. They also embrace the concept of sharing & supporting each member of the group. Receiving honest, frank feedback is not always what you want to hear but when given in a supportive environment, it allows you to seek solutions to turn negatives into positives, gain insights into how others perceive a situation or brainstorm new ideas.
A spark sets you in action, allowing you to gain velocity and sustain momentum.
There are a variety of different mastermind groups available for entrepreneurs, professionals, CEO’s and more. Each group brings its own culture and can be run in both facilitated and non-facilitated formats.
Virtual groups offer you the ability to connect with others in your city, province, state, country or globally all from the comfort of your home or office. There are great time savings because you don’t have to travel to the meeting location. Technology allows groups to video-conference together and improve the connectivity over telephone calls alone. Not meeting in person takes self-discipline to turn off your cell phone, email notifications and any other distractions. A mastermind only works when every member of the group is fully engaged and involved.
I have loved my virtual groups. My current mastermind team is global. We meet via Zoom.us because members of our group live and work
in the USA, Canada, the Netherlands and Hong Kong, Each of us are business owners or senior managers, some in similar fields, others very different. It is the distance geographically that works to our advantage as we are better able to share our approaches and we learn the differences between cultures, specialties and more. The bond we have created and the support we each garner has helped members grow their business, write a book, take action on a dream to spend a month in Peru, and connect with new opportunities that may have passed by otherwise.
In person groups offer participants very focused meetings where you can connect in-person with other participants. For some, this format works much better than a virtual group. I have participated in this type of mastermind as well. In fact, I really enjoyed getting together with my mastermind team. We created a great environment to share and gain the support we needed to really step up into new arenas. A face-to-face group does have some drawbacks — most importantly is that everyone must live in the same geographic area and you have to allow extra time to travel to the meeting location. Timeliness is also critical – Time is money! Respecting each other enough to arrive on time, stay focused on the topic at hand, and being willing to discuss the “hard” areas will make this type of group a valuable addition to your business or career.
Facilitated or Self-Run – There are two different approaches to mastermind groups. Some groups are self-run, usually with one or two members taking on the role of leader. Many self-run groups have a loose agenda and experience a shorter lifespan. I have belonged to several self-run masterminds in the past two decades and two of them have survived for more than 10 years, although a few members came and went. the core remained in place thus offering stability.
On the other hand, facilitated masterminds offer members an opportunity to focus on their business or career. Rather than having to organize and lead the group, energy is spent on participating in the mastermind. The facilitated meetings generally have a fee attached and the facilitator will organize and lead the group, keep everyone on schedule and help coordinate resources, guest speakers and screen new members.
In many facilitated mastermind programs, an in-person retreat is included. A retreat usually include only the mastermind participants. Others may invite other people to participate to ensure the group size will maximize the benefit a retreat can create. A Retreat may include fun activities, guest speakers, learning sessions, mastermind “hot seat” sessions and more! Getting away from your daily routine to focus on what’s important to you, and interacting with other motivated and supportive individuals make these retreats, in my opinion, the most valuable part of a mastermind.
Few things can accelerate you toward your goals faster than a mastermind group. Michael Hyatt
If you are ready to take action and ignite your career or business and reach new goals, a mastermind group maybe t
he solution for you! As a mastermind facilitator, I bring groups together who are at the same phase or have a common focus, In September 2016 I will be hosting a virtual mastermind. The Gold Spark Mastermind is a 6-month program designed for experienced managers, executives, entrepreneurs, CEO’s. Groups help to create their own mastermind culture. Members also have input into the approach, topics, schedule and format.
Three options exist —
As a member of a mastermind you will be supported in your goals and accountability is a built-in component of each group. You will receive a Mastermind Success Tracker, access to monthly book reviews, expert interviews or tele-seminars for added support.
If you have questions, book an Ignite Session with me and we can explore this option for you.
I’ve written before about how important it is for a team to have a common focus in order to be successful. This is one area where diversity of though is not good.
The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime. — Babe Ruth
Once a team culture is created it can be a challenge to change, yet it is possible to improve it. In their book, The Discipline of Teams, Katzenback and Smith stated, “teams have four elements—common commitment and purpose, performance goals, complementary skills, and mutual accountability.”
Does your team have a common commitment and purpose? If not, you have a group of individuals not a team. Teams are link jigsaw puzzles, they fit together and interlock to create the bigger picture. One broken or missing piece leaves a
gap.
High performance teams adopt the four elements of a team. They come together for a common purpose, remain focused on that purpose as a collective. As a leader of a team, your role is to help every team member identify the
key purpose and operating principles of the team.
Aim higher. Stay focused. — Brandon Adams
The vision and operating principles are created by the group as a first step in achieving a common focus and commitment from each member of the team.
Secondly, high performing teams revisit their operating principles regularly. Are they still applicable. What, if any, changes are needed and why? When changes are needed, its important to understand why the changes are needed.
Lastly, it is important for each member of the team to be held accountable to the operating principles. As discussed in the post “One Bad Apple – Can One Person Impact a Team” when a team member goes rogue, the focus and productivity of the entire team can be negatively impacted.
A point for Team Leads
If your team cannot see how their efforts are helping the entire organization and how working together is good for each individual as well as the team, there is work to be done to build a high performance team. Consider a dedicated meeting to address the differences, gaps and challenges, identify solutions and celebrate what’s working well. Team leader trust and transparency can make all the difference in this process. You must also demonstrate you are on the same page with your team, supportive and willing to pitch in. Remember, great leaders lead by example.
Can one person impact the dynamics of a team? Absolutely!
“Individual commitment to a group effort–that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” –Vince Lombardi
We only have to look at our work environments or sports teams for examples.
Recently, the Montreal Canadiens traded P.J. Subban for Shae Webber which shocked many fans. P.J. was a key part of the Montreal hockey team, very active in the community and a fan favourite. Why would they trade away a key resource? Some say the downturn in the teams performance on the ice wasn’t related to the loss of the goalie. Instead it was reflective of strained dynamics in the locker room. Webber brings a leadership component which is needed to ensure this decline in performance doesn’t happen again.
Another example is here in B.C. with our football team, the B.C. Lions. For the past two years we had two new head coaches and results were a complete reversal of prior performance. This year, former head coach and GM, Wally Buono returned to the sidelines and its like watching a different team. Reports are Buono treats every player the same- whether they are a rookie or a veteran. He also has the same expectations — come to practice and games prepared to work and give it their best effort.
Although these are sports examples, the same occurs in business. A negative nellie can ruin a motivated and productive team. A leader who lacks trust in their team can lose the respect of team members and morale will drop, leading to turnover, poor productivity, conflict and more.
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” –Andrew Carnegie
Here are three ways you can ensure that one bad apple doesn’t ruin your team’s efforts.
“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” — Phil Jackson
Team dynamics are a key factor in achieving a successful outcome. Don’t let one person stop the team from pulling the whole team down! Whether you are the team lead or a team member, you have a role to play — be the difference maker!
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