Three Keys To Better Business Skills

I was reading the on-line version of the New York Times which had an article about women being equal victims of the poor U.S. economy.  How is this possible?  Research has been done recently to discover why women were either working less or dropping out of the workforce altogether.  Traditionally, the explanations have focused on the woman’s role in the family.  So, women are dropping out of work to be wives and mothers.  The researchers discovered that women are reluctant to take lesser paying jobs so they find other things to do-some get more education, some are starting their own businesses, and some are simply giving up. 

The thing is-there is a logic problem with the traditional explanations.  The theory of attribution states that people explain behavior as due to being caused by something else.  Traditionally, we have stated that women do not want to be part of the work force because they feel the pull of the home.  Really?  It makes you wonder what else we have missed.  Whether you believe women should be working or not becomes a philosophical debate outside of reality.  There are families who are headed by women who need a living wage or better.  There are women who must support themselves who do not have families.  There are women who have no desire to be married or have children and are passionate about what they do for work. 

As for women being equal victims of the poor economy, this is nowhere near true.  Women continue to earn less than men for the same work.  There are single parents who must support families.  There are families who must have two incomes to keep their housing, put food on the table, and buy clothing.  Women are called continuously to be the primary caregiver in the home for children and aging parents.  Society continues to put men in the position of being less important at home and more important in the workplace.   Nothing about this situation is fair for anyone but to call women equal victims of the U.S. economy is to deny what is taking place in the working world on an everyday basis. 

Recently, I was driving on a beautiful day and stopped at a red light near a car wash.  There was a long line for both the car wash and the vacuums.  A well dressed man in casual clothes caught my eye.  He had a well coordinated outfit and appeared rather stylish.  He had his back to the street and was getting ready to vacuum his car.  Then he bent over to reach into his car. 

He was wearing white boxers.  No, I’m not a good guesser and I’m not an expert in men’s underwear.  His pants were attached below his hips and his shirt was just not long enough to cover his behind.  Standing up, he was covered and looked tidy.  But when he was leaning into his car, there they were, in all their white glory from the waistband to the hem.

After chuckling to myself, I got to thinking.  When do we “show” our underwear?  Image is a key piece of how we do business.  Do we even know when it happens?  There is all kinds of advice-wear the clothes for the job you really want, wear blue when you are selling something, even how to e-mail appropriately.  But what about when we make a mistake or circumstances get the better of us?  What do you do when you committed a gaffe of some kind and your image get tarnished or damaged.

Sometimes things happen and we don’t get enough sleep (think babies, children, household crises, etc.).  We have medical issues or we are experiencing family crises.  Occasionally these life events are ongoing and we find that we don’t have the same level of energy and attention we normally give our work.  Other times we don’t have necessary information or we lack skill.  We’re just not at our best and these are the times when we might be “showing our underwear.” 

So, what do you do instead?  Here are a few ideas:

1.  Keep a sense of humor.  People are willing to forgive you when you don’t take yourself too seriously.  A little self-deprecating humor can lighten an awkward situation. 

2.  Be kind to yourself.  An internship supervisor once told me that there are very few mistakes that you can’t fix.  Take some of the pressure off of yourself.  Sometimes good enough really is good enough.  And sometimes we just mess up.  Beating yourself up mentally is generally unproductive. 

3.  Let it go.  I may be repeating myself here but this is something I coach clients on quite frequently.  Deal with the emotions in a time-limited manner.  Give yourself a 1 hour pity party or take the whole day if you believe you need it.  Trying to carry on without acknowledging your feelings is going to create another moment to “show” your underwear.  Then, let it go.  The situation has become part of your past and you can’t go back in time. 

4.  Accept any feedback.  If someone is willing to give their assessment of you, take it as a gift.  If it feels hypercritical, keep in mind that this is one person and one opinion. Dale Dauten, the Corporate Curmudgeon, once wrote that if someone takes the time to criticize you, they care about your performance.  The opposite is true too.  If someone is willing to compliment you, they care about your performance.

5.  Apologize when appropriate.  Apologies are great PR.  They show your character-humility, ability to take responsibility, sincerity, etc.  People want to do business with those they trust.  If you have committed some sort of gaffe and work to fix it with integrity, people will remember that.  If you can’t resolve the situation, then you will know you acknowledged the mistake and how it affected the other person.

6.  Make any necessary changes.  If you find you lack some information or knowledge, get educated by reading a book, take a class, visit a pertinent website, or meet with a mentor.  Review your coping style or your organizational style and get the appropriate tools or support by hiring a coach, a professional organizer, or another service professional. 

Entrepreneurs often work by the seat of their pants.  This does open us up to acting like Underwear Man. When we accidentally show a little too much, self-management is so important in bouncing back from our mistakes.  Our image does take a hit every now and then.  For the most part, you will be able to clean up your mess.  As for the few times when you can’t fix the situation, learn from your gaffe.  Now, make sure you put on a clean pair just like your mother told you!

Are you an E.G.G.?

Join us for a free teleseminar for How to Be an E.G.G.

• Feeling scrambled by all of the tasks, decisions, and responsibilities of running a business?
• Trying to focus on what you need to do to build your business?
• Having trouble staying out of your own way?
• No matter what, do you know you have something special to offer?

You are an Entrepreneurial Go Getter!

Join us for a free 1 hour seminar and begin to:

ü      Articulate the personal purpose of your business

ü      Clarify your business vision

ü      Define clear, actionable goals that support the business vision

ü      Identify bad habits and limited beliefs that sabotage performance

ü      Develop strategies to manage procrastination, performance anxiety, and the normal “ups and downs” of being an E.G.G.

And leave with an action plan that sets you on your way to make your business vision an everyday reality.

When:  Monday, June 23, 2008 at 11:00am ET

                       or

              Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 1:00pm ET

Where:  From the comfort of your office or your home or wherever you may be!

Cost:  Free

To register, visit www.abilitysuccessgrowth.com/seminars.html or call Elli at (781) 258-9952

A bridgeline and a handout will be sent to you prior to the teleseminar.

Here is a great opportunity for all you entrepreneurs who want to be an Entpreneurial Go Getter!  I’m delighted to introduce a new program designed for entrepreneurs and intra-preneurs.  The best part is that I was inspired by a client who suggested I develop something like this for him and his colleagues.  (Thanks, P.S.!)

So, let me tell you all about it!

Are you an Entrepreneurial Go Getter?

Tired of feeling scrambled?

Trying to focus on where your business is going?

Having trouble getting out of your own way?

No matter what, do you know you have something special to offer?

Entrepreneurship is a process that both reflects and forms who you are.

Join us for a 1 hour tele-seminar and begin to:

• Articulate the personal purpose for your business
• Clarify your business vision
• Define clear, actionable goals that support your business vision
• Identify bad habits and limiting beliefs that sabotage your performance
• Develop stratagies that manage procrastination, performance anxiety,  and the normal “ups and downs” of being an E.G.G.

And leave with an action plan that sets you on your way to make your business vision a reality.

When:  Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Time:  2:00pm-3:00pm ET

Where:  The comfort of your office or home.  A bridgeline will be sent to you before the seminar date.

Cost:  Free

For more information, call (781) 258-9952

To register, go to www.abilitysuccessgrowth.com/seminars.html

In the article, When Language Can Hold the Answer (The New York Times, April 22, 2008), Christine Kenneally writes about research done on language and perception. In a recent study at Cornell, Dr. Gary Lupyan added onto an experiment done with students at Carnegie Mellon in which he added words to describe pictures of “aliens” as friendly or unfriendly.  Dr. Lupyan discovered that all of the participants learned which label identified the “aliens.”  Most interestingly, the participants who used labels learned more quickly than participants who did not use labels. 

Christine Kenneally sums up the debate with this question:  “Does language shape what we perceive, a position associated with Benjamin Lee Whorf, or are our perceptions pure sensory impressions, immune to the arbitrary ways language carves up the world?”

Research has demonstrated that language and thought do have a relationship.  Language can enhance thought as an add-on feature to more primitive mental behaviors.  This is a good and bad relationship as language can enhance or interfere with our thinking.  Dr. Lupyan notes that language enables us to learn and understand completely new material and facilitate abstract thinking but it can also get in the way of how we remember specific objects.  Basically, how we put words and objects together in categories can be an aid or a hindrance. In research done by Dr. Dedre Gentner of Northwestern, she discovered that language gives us a structure to organize our thoughts. Steven Pinker of Harvard posits that, while a connection between language and thought exists, it does not force a particular line of thinking, refuting the theory set forth by Benjamin Lee Whorf and Edward Sapir.

The debate may not have an answer yet but it is intriguing material as we consider how we use language in our businesses.  In business, we get advice about what to do in our elevator pitches, first impressions, and presenting a certain professional image. What do you do with this information? What words do you choose in your public messages? What words do you use privately with yourself? One client told me a story about how she was talking with a colleague about launching her business.  He jokingly told her to get some kind of counseling and reflected back to her that she frequently framed going out on her own as a negative. Give the same message consistently, it becomes believable. You can create a new reality for yourself, positive or negative. Self-fulfilling prophecies work both ways. 

How do you want to be perceived?

Some of the readers of this blog know that I am growing and developing my business to be sustainable and profitable on its own.  One of the catches to running a coaching business is the determination that I am either running a practice or a business.  I recently heard Michael Gerber (The E-Myth Revisited) speak about this in an interview about his new book, Awakening the Entrepreneur Within, and he described a practice (any practice-medical, law, or other) as being a partial business.  I believe he used the word, broken.  He explained that running a practice is a fragment of what a business could be.  That got me thinking and re-thinking about my role in the business, what I know about my market, and if my business goals make sense.

 And there is the recession.  Unless you prefer some other term.  Coaching get lumped in with “fluff” when there are econnomic downturns.  Now this gets me on my soapbox about how useful and practical coaching can be, its high value in creating strategies to maximize the skills you bring to your business, and that business continues regardless of the financial environment. 

Since coaching is not fluff, how can I deliver something useful to you if you are not in a position to hire a coach?  Market research.  To keep my business dynamic and relevant, I am conducting The Coaching Products and Services Survey.  Every participant who completes the survey is eligible for one free full coaching session with no strings or obligations.  We can review your current business plan or focus on one particular area that is challenging you.  Since the survey itself is completed anonymously, participants have to contact me for their free session.  Please feel free to share this with your colleagues and other business people you know.  Thank you for your input.

Here is the link:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=AiUOyNV73nN38ipmEo0TWg_3d_3d

One of the important things about starting a business is having enough money to do things like marketing, setting up an office, hiring professionals such as a lawyer or accountant, and many other tasks that are simply part of doing business. When I started my business, I didn’t know this valuable nugget of information. Like many business owners, particularly women business owners, I have bootstrapped from the very beginning. This can be a stressful and challenging way to build a business. 

As I speak to a variety of entrepreneurs, some types of businesses don’t lend themselves well to bootstrapping. Finding financing either through bank loans, angel investors, venture capitalists, and other sources becomes necessary. But how do you find these people? 

There is a great resource for businesses that focus on new technologies. The Pitch is a section of Mass High Tech News that features start-ups seeking funding and visibility.  You can nominate your business and be chosen to be the focus in the print issue.  To get more information, click on this link.  http://masshightech.bizjournals.com/masshightech/nomination/1207

I hope you are chosen and get your business to blast off! 

With economists going back and forth about whether the recession will be mild or severe, businesses are looking at ways to weather the current downturn. Of course, it is important to devise a plan to handle the uncertainty that recessions trigger. However, the plan depends on the creativity, acumen, and resiliency of the people involved. It is the resiliency that can make the biggest difference. Why? Well, it is important to understand what is resiliency.

According to The Resiliency Center, resiliency is the ability to recover quickly “from disruptive change, or misfortune without becoming overwhelmed or acting in dysfunctional or harmful ways.” Typically, we think of resilient people surviving traumas or other horrendous events but each one of us can develop a resilient mindset. There are certain qualities that enable one person to thrive while another just withers.

They are:

1.  Positive Outlook. 

2.  Ability to Problem-Solve. 

3.  Hardiness. 

4.  Positive emotions

5.  Emotional support

6.  Flexibility

It is easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom, not to mention the roller coaster that are the stock markets. Resilient entrepreneurs remember that there are business cycles and that they have a terrific product or service. Perhaps it does take a different marketing strategy or cutting costs to keep your business going. Keep in mind that recent recessions in the U.S. have been infrequent and brief. The important piece is developing a resilient mindset so you can respond to the current market stressors positively and prosperously.

*****

I am so excited to tell you some great news! 

My first e-book, The Quick and Dirty Guide to Goal Setting for the Entrepreneur with Big Ideas, is ready and waiting at my website, www.abilitysuccessgrowth.com.  

Find out:

• the 4 steps to goal setting
• how clarifying your vision makes identifying your goals easier
• effective strategies to manage self-sabotage
• why an accountability partner is crucial to your success
• and more!

I keep seeing the IBM ads in which the point is to do something.  Like the characters in the commercials, most of us do not follow through with our ideas and goals.   We spend a lot of time ideating, inspiring, imagining, et cetera.  This is the trap.  It is so easy to think we are busy doing something when we are doing little more than contemplating our navels. 

Business owners spend time on the “right” website, business cards, brochures, attending seminars, and other details of the business.  This is not doing.  Here is the interesting thing though…Choosing to avoid real action highlights the anxiety and stress of growing a business into a lucrative enterprise. 

I was talking with a client today about why she was accepting the indecisiveness of an important resource.  This is somebody who can help her get over a major hurdle that will bring her to the next step in launching her business.  I suggested to her that there is a payoff, a gain from inaction.  This concept can seem strange at first.  Why would anyone want to annoy themselves by remaining stuck and courting failure? 

 Some of the reasons that clients have shared with me have been that they felt fearful that they would have additional responsibilities, have to work more hours, make mistakes, or lose out on time with friends and family.  The all-time, best reason I have heard is the fear that one will actually be successful and a major hijacking of one’s personality will occur. 

 The bottom line here-fear will prevent you from taking action!

How powerful is your fear?  What is triggering this fear?  How important is your business?  What can you implement first?  Answering these questions will make it easier to take the first step.  Get out of the trap and identify what tools and resources will support your implementation.

 ***Check out my website and see the resources that will support your growth  and action at www.abilitysuccessgrowth.com!

As I was reading the Sales column by Greta Schultz titled Recruiting the Right People (Boston Business Journal, November 2-8, 2007), I was reminded of how many of my clients struggle with describing an open position to interviewees.  Ms. Schultz’s advice is to start with the identifying the ideal candidate.  However, there is one step before you identify the ideal candidate.  What exactly is the job?

 This baffles many companies and I have had more than a few people give me that look that says I am nice but completely nuts.  Well, consider this.  Here is a common scenario-imagine you are in the interview and you find an impressive candidate.  You hire the person and then two weeks later, discover that the position you thought the person was perfect for does not really exist and now you have to tell the person there are major changes.  Perhaps you have to explain there is more travel, not enough work, or that the business requires an overhaul to the position.  Typically, it costs quite a bit to hire someone and disgruntled employees cost even more in lost productivity.

 Before you get yourself in that pickle, take the time to get the necessary information about the job.  Map out the baseline competencies that the job requires.  Do some investigation.  Ask managers and other employees what they consider important about the job.  What kinds of interpersonal skills are required?  How much autonomy is expected?  What specific areas of knowledge must the right candidate possess?  This is an important step because no one works in a vacuum and your company’s departments are really interconnected. 

The next step requires you to consider the culture of your business.  Identify the personality qualities that would promote success in your ideal candidate.  Notice if your business is fast or slow paced.  Do your employees like to play or keep focused on work?  Is the culture one of a big family, collegial, or some other description?  Even how offices are situated, the color scheme, and how the furniture is arranged gives you clues about the corporate culture.  These less obvious qualities actually support morale and productivity. 

After you know the responsibilities of the job and your corporate culture, you will be able to describe the sort of person who would be a successful employee.    Knowing the specific competencies of the position will lead you to the right candidate. 

One of the most important activities a business owner or executive can do is make time to think.  Whether you subscribe to the ideas of Peter Drucker, Peter Senge, Jim Collins, or many of the other business management thinkers, they share a common value regarding thinking.  I suppose a better word would be contemplating.

 Many of the small business people with whom I speak tell me they do not have time to contemplate what they really want to happen.  There is payroll to make, customer service, finances, information management, and a host of other nuts and bolts tasks.  While this is true, there is this question.  What if refusing to take the time to contemplate the state of your business and your role in it was actually an act of self-sabotage?  Ugh!  All that time, energy, money, and dreams wasted and your business may stagnate or fail. 

Oddly enough, most of us discount the time we have available for thinking.  For me, my thinking time shifted when my son was born.  This took some adjustments but it also acknowledged reality.  While some of my time was clearly overshadowed by the fog of sleep deprivation, there were the other times when I could let my mind wander and generate new strategies, new language, or simply review the current state of my business. 

What are some of these good times? Here are some suggestions…

• While taking a shower, bath, or shaving.  These 5+ minutes could be great times to rehearse an elevator speech or a presentation.  Use the time to set up your to-do list of what you really want to accomplish during the day.
• While commuting.  You could torment yourself by thinking about the abysmal traffic conditions, the slow train, or the awful weather.  A better use of your time (and reduce your stess level; always a plus) is to let your imagination run wild and consider what would make your business more interesting or even, thrilling to you. 
• The first 15-20 minutes.  Most of us do not jump into our work right away when we first get to work.  The advantage to using only 15-20 minutes is that you write quickly and avoid telling yourself that your ideas are harebrained.  (You can edit them later.)  Begin with the question, “What do I want?”  Take the time each day to write, draw, or type your goals, your dreams, and your brilliant ideas (i.e. the ones from the shower) in a designated file or notebook.  In the last 5 minutes, review the previous entries and delete or cross out the ones you find boring, ridiculous, or ill-fitting. 
• Monday morning or Friday morming.  Or Tuesday, Wednesday…any time once a week you set aside 15-20 minutes.  This is a variation on the previous suggestion.  Granted there are times when we do have to jump into our work and do not stop until the end of the day (or night).  That does not mean that you give up contemplating how to make you and your business more effective, interesting, and/or financially sound.  Using the same method already suggested, write down anything and everything for the first 10-15 minutes and in the last 5 minutes, review all of your ideas and edit them. 
• Whenever.  Creativity can sneak up on us during conversations, using the toilet, or during leisure time.  Use it to your advantage.  Sometimes just letting things percolate in the backs of our minds allows us to get them just right.  Keep your Blackberry, personal organizer, or a small notebook on hand to just jot the idea quickly and review it when you have more time.  One person has told me how she has been known to grab a paper napkin to write down her ideas. 

Taking the time to think about your business is important.  It is just as important as attending to your finances, returning phone calls, or information management.  It is an opportunity to be honest with yourself and make sure you are on track with your business vision.  It can clarify how you want to use your accountant, your coach, or your employees to make your business more effective.   Now, what do you want anyway?