Who Holds You to Account

One of the most common failings of Owner-Managers is failing to see things through. The problem is that there is nobody to hold them to account. In their past, Corporate, life they may have had a boss who managed their delivery. One of the reasons that they set up in business on their own was to escape from the boss. The problem is that they not only escaped from all the negative things that come with a boss. They also escaped from all the positives too. Now there is nobody (with the possible exception of the bank manager) to make sure that things get finished. Running a business can be lonely and difficult. Are you making sure that you are accountable to somebody? Yourself, your partner or some respected individual who helps you to retain a perspective and keeps on reminding you about the important initiatives that found their way on to pages three and four of the to-do list.

Consider hiring a non-Exec. chairman (or interim business manager if you prefer) who will help you to see things through to completion.

Actions speak louder than words

Have you ever looked at the real differences between successful entrepreneurs and the rest of us?

The answer lies in action. You may have great ideas and wonderful abilities, but if you fail to act on them - you will not prosper.

So what are you going to DO differently this week?

You might start with your three best ideas and start creating the action plans for each. Then plan at least half a day to make a start on each. If you spend this time AND check off some complete actions, you can start to feel that you are making progress.

Plan then act on that plan then review, refine and re-plan. Then take massive action. You may just start to make some progress towards your goals.

Stay Fresh

Does the world seem to be against you? Is your motivation flagging? What are you going to do to get back in the zone and to re-energise yourself?
You could start by going back to your goals.
In one year from now:

Where do you want to be?

• What does your business look like?
• What is your own role in your business?
• What changes made the difference?

What is the step-by-step plan to creating your vision?

So, what are you going to do differently today?

Seems easy? Sorry, it is still hard work, but you need a purpose, a goal and a vision before you can re-motivate yourself.

Take off the blinkers

Spending a day in a school this week - helping Leicester Education Business Company with a Lion's Lair event - was truly enlightening. How often have you (or somebody in your firm) used knowledge and experience to kill a potentially great idea? The mantras of idea killing:

• Yes, but
• That will never work
• We tried that once
• You will never get that past the (board, customer, bank, boss - delete as appropriate)

What would happen if you applied the mind of an enthusiast to that idea and asked instead:

• How do we make it work?
• What do we need to do differently to ensure success?
• Where are the obstacles, and how do we remove them for long enough to allow the idea to flourish?

So, next time a great idea is in danger of being stubbed out on the carpet of experience - NURTURE IT.