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Delegation

The Importance of Teamwork in a Business Organization

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Teamwork is the whole point of forming business organizations. Businesses bring together people with different skills and traits. 

People working alone are limited in what they can get done. Putting them to work together multiplies their productivity exponentially

Read on to learn how we can promote teamwork and what can hamper it.

Simple teamwork in a business
A rowing team is a simple example of teamwork in action – credit Matteo Vistocco on Unsplash.com

What is Teamwork?

Teamwork happens when several individuals cooperate to do something. Working together, they play off each others’ skills and abilities and share ideas. The team

produces several times the sum of what the members could create individually. Two or more people discussing a challenge will discover solutions neither one would have thought of alone. 

Why Teamwork Matters

 

Teamwork matters because individuals’ abilities limit what they can do or discover alone. For example, consider the typical approaches of:

  • Engineers.
  • Artists.
  • Accountants.
  • Equipment operators.
  • Advertisers.
  • Salespeople.

Professionals in these and many other disciplines have different views of a project or challenge. Each approach has its merits. For most complex projects, many cooperating disciplines have a place in the task’s successful outcome.

To summarize the concept, we could say that 1+1+1+1+1+1=10, or 20.

It’s hard to overemphasize the importance of teamwork in business.

Team Building in the Workplace

 

Building a functional team requires leadership. The leadership skills necessary to cause teamwork to happen are several.

Each team member must feel part of something important, something more significant than the individual. The competent leader helps each member see their part in the team’s greater results.

Each team member must feel supported. When someone has a question, remember that there are no stupid questions. There are stupid answers, such as ridiculing the questioner or providing an answer that the leader is uncertain of. If the leader is not certain of the answer, the correct response is, “I’ll find out and let you know.” 

The leader must take care to provide the team with adequate resources to accomplish their task. If they’re forced to operate with inadequate budgets and tools, they will be disgruntled and inefficient. Productivity can be defined as the quotient of results per dollar spent. Reducing the denominator of that fraction is usually less effective than Increasing the numerator.

We could even say each member must feel loved! The leader should show an interest in each person, their families, and what’s important to them as individuals.

The leader and the team members must form a cohesive partnership. The importance of a team in business is huge. Teamwork makes the venture work. Its absence breaks it down.

The Importance of Teamwork in Business

Let me get a bit personal here. I joined the business world over 50 years ago. I soon observed that, in every organization with two or more people, time, effort and resources are wasted by people working at cross purposes. It became part of my mission to promote teamwork wherever I had influence.

Probably this mission was subconscious at first. It gained new meaning for me when, in 1991, I took a position as Operations Manager for a large gas and oil exploration and production company. The two largest departments under my leadership were Drilling and Production. These two departments had many roles in the operation where their communication and support of each other were important. 

Under the leadership of two culturally diverse managers, the two departments were not cooperating well at all. I pointed out to each of them how important their communication and mutual support were and helped them see ways to work together. We soon began to see increased production, lower costs, improved safety, and happier people.

Six months or so into this, when their cooperation, and our results, began to improve, I suddenly realized my personal dedication to teamwork. I formally declared to myself that this was my central purpose.

There’s more detail on this story here.

The importance of teamwork among people in business can be likened to the importance of teamwork among horses pulling a heavy load. If the horses all pull in unison in the desired direction, they can pull far more than their own weight. However, if one is hanging back, another is nipping at its neighbor’s neck, and other disruptions to teamwork are occurring, they can’t pull much.

Perhaps there will always be some discord among individuals, especially in larger companies. It can be minimized by competent leadership.

Note: Archived issues of The Unity Community are available here. Search that page for keywords representing your particular interest. Most articles offer suggestions for ways of improving business and personal relationships. Keep in mind that business is done by…people. Every business concern is essentially an inter-personal concern. 

A “Shot in the Arm” Every Day!

Eric Lofholm, my friend, mentor and sales coach, hosts a 15-minute motivational call every business day.  The call is at 7:45 AM Pacific time. Register for it here. You’ll find instructions on how to join the call on Facebook, Zoom, by phone, or in a recording you can access on your schedule. 

Let’s Talk!

How’s the teamwork in your organization? Do the teams have the tools they need? Want to talk about it? Reply to this message or click here if you’d like to chat by Zoom or on the phone.

Do you like The Unity Community?

Do you find value in the articles?

What’s good about it?

What would make it even more valuable for you? 

Suggestions for topics in future issues? Do you have something you’d like to contribute? It can be your work…or someone else’shttps://smartmoneynetwork.net/what-are-the-most-important-questions-to-ask-your-business-coach-before-hiring-them/. I’ll give you and the author ample credit for your contribution if I use it.

Your thoughts, suggestions and comments are always welcome. Reply to this message, or go here if you’d like to chat on the phone or Zoom. 

Do You Know Someone Who’d Like This?

You’re welcome to forward it to them with the FORWARD feature in your email program. 

Did someone forward this to you? Would you like to subscribe (free)? Send your email address to me ([email protected]) and tell me you’d like to subscribe.

Want to Do More Business?

Suppose you go to a networking event. You’re amazed to find all your ideal prospects waiting to talk with you.

Our Business Accelerator Platform gives you this kind of exposure to your market. These are the people you want to help!

We find your ideal client prospects and start conversations with them. Then we communicate your value. We get them to schedule appointments with you…all on autopilot. This can happen for you! Learn how here. 

When you join Smart Money Network’s Business Accelerator Platform, we:

  • Optimize your LinkedIn Profile Page so it better attracts people in your market.

(Hint: What painful issue do you resolve for your clients? If your LinkedIn profile describes how you make your clients’ lives better, it’s rare! Most describe the merchant’s qualifications and expertise. They say little about what he/she does to remove clients’ pain.)

  • LinkedIn has 740 million members. We find the few thousand who match your ideal client profile. You define your best prospect for us. Then we go find them.

(Even if you can find these people by yourself, it will take hours away from your work with your current clients.)

  • Invite about 100 of these best prospects every week to connect with you on LinkedIn.
  • Send a welcome message to those who accept your invitation and connect.

(Typically 15% or more. Currently, over 25% of those I invite are connecting!)

  • Deliver something of value to them from you, and then do it again!
  • Begin a “drip campaign” of carefully timed messages, providing more value. These messages give…give… give…and then ask. No pitches!

All these messages come from you personally. We want and expect your input in developing them…unless you want us to just do it. You can follow the threads and adjust your messages as you see better ways to engage your prospects. We’re always ready to talk with you about improving your messaging.

See a “hot” prospect you want to engage with your unique message? Take over the exchange manually!

Click here to learn how you can put this program to work for YOU!

Would You Like to Publish a Blog Like This One?

Want new ways to engage your prospects and clients? Unity Copywriting writes the materials that help you stay top of their minds.  Let’s discuss how these materials can help you with your marketing!

What is Delegating a Task and How to do it Effectively?

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What is Delegating a Task?

Delegating a task is much than instructing someone to do something. In delegating a task, you aim to inspire the best performance your team members have in them.

To attract that best performance, you must be an encourager, a teacher, and a coach. Your team members must know they have your support and that you trust them to do their best work.

Why is it Important?

Effective delegation is important because, through your leadership, you can produce multiples of what you can with your own direct effort. Delegation is one of the most effective tools you have to do this.

Why Managers Fail to Delegate

First, let’s make a clear distinction. Leaders are much more than managers. Managers concern themselves with things – budgets, tasks, tools, etc. Leaders must manage some of those things, but their primary concern is with people. People respond very poorly when they’re treated like things.

From that distinction, it should be clear that the the two roles need very different skills. Managers manipulate things and command certain actions, as with a computer. Leaders give their teams an example to follow in the way they approach and address a task. They may or may not have the skills they expect of their team.

Managers fail to delegate because:

  • They don’t trust people to do the right thing.
  • They don’t trust their capability to communicate what they want done.
  • They operate with the belief that “If I want it done right, I have to do it myself.” A very short-sighted attitude!

We must understand that the leader’s task is different from the work they expect from their team members. Often, the best leaders know little or nothing about the “nuts and bolts” of their team’s work. They know very well the result they want but hire experts in the detail work that achieves that result, and they trust them to do it.

Think about the most effective leaders of great conglomerate corporations. Do you think they know how to produce the products and services the company sells? Of course not! Yet, they lead teams of thousands to great success.

They do this in part by delegating areas of responsibility to department heads, who delegate details of the department’s responsibilities to team leaders, who delegate tasks to their team members. Depending on the mission’s complexity, there may be more layers than this, but you can see the pattern.

How to Delegate Tasks Effectively

To delegate tasks effectively, a leader must:

  • Be sure the assignment is clearly understood by the person responsible for it. Get them to feed back what they understand about their responsibility.
  • Encourage and answer any questions about what they’re to do.
  • Provide the resources they need to achieve the desired result.
  • Establish a schedule for monitoring progress – depending on the task’s complexity and length or term, it could be hourly, daily, weekly, or even longer intervals.
  • Make clear your readiness to discuss or answer questions about the task
  • Walk away! This may be the most important step and, for some, the most difficult. “Looking over people’s shoulders” is the surest way to tell them you don’t trust them. People who are not trusted quickly learn not to trust themselves, and they do inferior work. Or, if they recognize what’s happening and have the necessary self-confidence, they leave.

Happy leadership!

Note: Archived issues of The Unity Community are available here. Search that page for keywords representing your particular interest. Most articles offer suggestions for ways of improving business and personal relationships. Keep in mind that business is done by…people. Every business concern is essentially an inter-personal concern. 

A “Shot in the Arm” Every Day!

Eric Lofholm, my friend, mentor and sales coach, hosts a 15-minute motivational call every business day. (For a short time, he switched to doing the call weekly, and it seems nobody liked it.)  The call is at 7:45 AM Pacific time. Register for it here. You’ll find instructions on how to join the call on Facebook, Zoom, by phone, or on a recording. 

Let’s Talk!

What’s your leadership style? Do you have a clear sense of how your team members view their relationships with you? Would you like to share your experience(s) with leadership? I’d love to hear from you. Reply to this message or click here if you’d like to chat on the phone.

Do you like The Unity Community?

Do you find value in the articles?

What’s good about it?

What would make it even more valuable for you? 

Suggestions for topics in future issues? Do you have something you’d like to contribute? It can be your work…or someone else’s. I’ll give you and the author ample credit for your contribution if I use it.

Your thoughts, suggestions and comments are always welcome. Reply to this message, or go here if you’d like to chat on the phone or Zoom. 

Do You Know Someone Who’d Like This?

You’re welcome to forward it to them with the FORWARD feature in your email program. 

Did someone forward this to you? Would you like to subscribe (free)? Send me your email address and tell me you’d like to subscribe.

Want to Do More Business?

Suppose you go to a networking event. You’re amazed to find all your ideal prospects waiting to talk with you.

Our Business Accelerator Platform gives you this kind of exposure to your market. These are the people you want to help!

We find your ideal client prospects and start conversations with them. Then we communicate your value. We get them to schedule appointments with you…all on autopilot. This can happen for you! Learn how here. 

When you join Smart Money Network’s Business Accelerator Platform, we:

  • Optimize your LinkedIn Profile Page so it better attracts people in your market.

(Hint: What painful issue do you resolve for your clients? If your LinkedIn profile describes how you make your clients’ lives better, it’s rare! Most describe the merchant’s qualifications and expertise. They say little about what they do to remove clients’ pain.)

  • LinkedIn has 740 million members. We find the few thousand who match your ideal client profile. You define your best prospect for us. Then we find them.

(Even if you can find these people by yourself, it will take hours away from your work with your current clients.)

  • Invite about 100 of these best prospects every week to connect with you on LinkedIn.
  • Send a welcome message to those who accept your invitation and connect.

(Typically 15% or more. Currently, over 25% of those I invite are connecting!)

  • Deliver something of value to them from you, and then do it again!
  • Begin a “drip campaign” of carefully timed messages, providing more value. These messages give…give… give…and then ask. No pitches!

All these messages come from you personally. We want and expect your input in developing them…unless you want us to just do it. You can follow the threads and adjust your messages as you see better ways to engage your prospects. We’re always ready to talk with you about improving your messaging.

See a “hot” prospect you want to engage with your unique message? Take over the exchange manually!

Click here to learn how you can put this program to work for YOU!

Would You Like to Publish a Newsletter Like This One?

Want new ways to engage your prospects and clients? Unity Copywriting writes the materials that help you stay top of their minds.  Let’s discuss how these materials can help you with your marketing!

4 Actionable Tips to Become Successful Entrepreneurs

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As independent business people, entrepreneurs work to satisfy the needs and wants of their customers, rather than those of a boss who pays them Their customers are their “bosses”.

Some independent business people aren’t entrepreneurs, though.

Want to set yourself apart from those who just sell what others are selling? Read on for tips to become a successful entrepreneur.

Lady’s broad-brim hat – Will it fit in the box? credit Pixabay.com

Brief Intro about Entrepreneurship and the Successful Entrepreneur

First, let’s identify the difference between an entrepreneur and other business people.

Many business people set themselves up in a competitive business selling what others are selling. They strive to differentiate themselves by offering a lower price than their competitors. Or, they compete by offering better service or product quality. Those who compete that way can sometimes hit on a unique combination of those features. They may be moderately successful with that style of competition. However, they’re usually trying to convince someone else’s customers to buy what they’re selling.

An entrepreneur identifies a gap in a market or even an entirely new market. When they find the solution to customers’ needs in that market, they have it all to themselves. They generate new business, new customers, rather than competing for someone else’s existing customers.

As in so many aspects of success, a big part of this is mindset. If you’re thinking “inside the box” – thinking like everyone else – you’re unlikely to find a revolutionary new business. Think outside the box – look in obscure places and markets – and who knows what might happen?!

A little further along, we’ll list some tips to become a successful entrepreneur.

Why Follow These Tips?

If you decide you’re going to sell shoes, or cars, or service air conditioners, you’ll be competing with others. Unless you’re in a remote area (likely without many shoe, or car, or air conditioner customers), you’ll be competing with others doing the same thing. Your only hopes for attracting customers are:

  1. Offering unique shoes, cars, servicing a different type of air conditioner
  1. Offering lower prices than others in your business.
  1. Offering a unique service in connection with what you sell. Find some twist on the business no one else has thought of or is offering.

With options 1 and 2, you’re not creating a new business. You’re trying to lure the same customers as everyone else offering that you do.

With the third option, you’d be getting entrepreneurial. If you’re offering something the 

competitors are unable o\r unwilling to offer, you’ve created a new niche in the market.

 

Tips to Become a Successful Entrepreneur

To illustrate the points I’ll list below, I’ll tell a story. My friend and his wife visited a very high-end millinery (hat shop). Linda, the proprietress, made and sold unique ladies’ hats. Every hat came with a hatbox. 

Since many of the hats had very broad brims, they didn’t fit in the boxes she could buy when she started her business. In a conversation with Linda, my friends learned this story. 

She had talked with her box supplier and asked about making larger boxes. He said his die-cutter for large boxes had broken down and not been repaired due to low demand for the large boxes. She asked him what it would cost to fix the die-cutter. A few hundred dollars was the answer. Linda offered to pay for that.

So they fixed the die-cutter. Linda got her large hatboxes. The box supplier found that large hats had become more popular, and providing boxes for them was a lucrative new line of business for him. He declined not to charge Linda for the machine repair.

Everybody won! Linda got her boxes so she could enjoy the expanded hat business. Her customers enjoyed the convenience of having a storage place for their big hats. The box supplier found a new line of business he didn’t think was there. And all because Linda took the initiative and offered to pay for the machine repair. As a bonus, in the end, she didn’t have to pay for it.

What are the takeaways from this story? The tips for entrepreneurs to be successful?

  • Be observant. If you or your customers have a need that’s not being met, probably you’re not alone. Solving your problem may lead to a whole new business.
  • Be ready to step up and take action. Without Linda’s offer to fix the die-cutting machine, none of this would have happened. The box supplier also was ready to move at Linda’s suggestion.
  • Listen open-mindedly to your customers and clients. Are they crying out for something you and others can’t supply? There’s likely an opportunity there.
  • If you’re in a competitive business, look for unique ways to serve your customers. Do something no one else is doing.

Entrepreneurs have the potential to be more successful financially than those who compete to sell what others are selling. They also find their work more personally fulfilling. I wish you great success as an entrepreneur.

Note: Archived issues of The Unity Community are available here. Search that page for keywords representing your particular interest. Most articles offer suggestions for ways of improving business and personal relationships. Keep in mind that business is done by…people. Every business concern is essentially an inter-personal concern. 

A “Shot in the Arm” Every Day!

Eric Lofholm is my friend, mentor and sales coach. He hosts a 30-minute motivational call every business day.  The call is at 7:45 AM Pacific time. Register for it here. You’ll find instructions on how to join the call on Facebook, Zoom, by phone, or in a recording you can access on your time. 

Let’s Talk!

How’s the teamwork in your organization? Do the teams have the tools they need? Want to talk about it? Reply to this message or click here if you’d like to chat by Zoom or on the phone.

Do you like The Unity Community?

Do you find value in the articles?

What’s good about it?

What would make it even more valuable for you? 

Suggestions for topics in future issues? Do you have something you’d like to contribute? It can be your work…or someone else’shttps://smartmoneynetwork.net/what-are-the-most-important-questions-to-ask-your-business-coach-before-hiring-them/. I’ll give you and the author ample credit for your contribution if I use it.

Your thoughts, suggestions and comments are always welcome. Reply to this message, or go here if you’d like to chat on the phone or Zoom. 

Get too Much Email?

Today’s issue is going to all my subscribers. If you’re among my monthly subscribers, you’ll receive your next issue on December 7, 2021.

If the monthly schedule suits you better, just reply to this message with the word “MONTHLY” in the message or subject line. If you elect that option, you can still check out the weekly issues at your convenience here. Since your last monthly issue, we’ve discussed:

Importance of Leadership in the Business World – Published 26 October 2021.

What Can a Family Business Coach Do for You? – Published 19 October 2021

Why Effective Leadership Starts With Good Communication – Published 12 October 2021

Want to Do More Business?

Suppose you go to a networking event. You’re amazed to find all your ideal prospects waiting to talk with you.

Our Business Accelerator Platform gives you this kind of exposure to your market. These are the people you want to help!

We find your ideal client prospects and start conversations with them. Then we communicate your value. We get them to schedule appointments with you…all on autopilot. This can happen for you! Learn how here. 

When you join Smart Money Network’s Business Accelerator Platform, we:

  • Optimize your LinkedIn Profile Page so it better attracts people in your market.

(Hint: What painful issue do you resolve for your clients? If your LinkedIn profile describes how you make your clients’ lives better, it’s rare! Most describe the merchant’s qualifications and expertise. They say little about what he/she does to remove clients’ pain.)

What’s good about it?

What would make it even more valuable for you? 

Suggestions for topics in future issues? Do you have something you’d like to contribute? It can be your work…or someone else’shttps://smartmoneynetwork.net/what-are-the-most-important-questions-to-ask-your-business-coach-before-hiring-them/. I’ll give you and the author ample credit for your contribution if I use it.

Your thoughts, suggestions and comments are always welcome. Reply to this message, or go here if you’d like to chat on the phone or Zoom. 

Get too Much Email?

Today’s issue is going to all my subscribers. If you’re among my monthly subscribers, you’ll receive your next issue on December 7, 2021.

If the monthly schedule suits you better, just reply to this message with the word “MONTHLY” in the message or subject line. If you elect that option, you can still check out the weekly issues at your convenience here. Since your last monthly issue, we’ve discussed:

Importance of Leadership in the Business World – Published 26 October 2021.

What Can a Family Business Coach Do for You? – Published 19 October 2021

Why Effective Leadership Starts With Good Communication – Published 12 October 2021

Want to Do More Business?

Suppose you go to a networking event. You’re amazed to find all your ideal prospects waiting to talk with you.

Our Business Accelerator Platform gives you this kind of exposure to your market. These are the people you want to help!

We find your ideal client prospects and start conversations with them. Then we communicate your value. We get them to schedule appointments with you…all on autopilot. This can happen for you! Learn how here. 

When you join Smart Money Network’s Business Accelerator Platform, we:

  • Optimize your LinkedIn Profile Page so it better attracts people in your market.

(Hint: What painful issue do you resolve for your clients? If your LinkedIn profile describes how you make your clients’ lives better, it’s rare! Most describe the merchant’s qualifications and expertise. They say little about what he/she does to remove clients’ pain.)

  • LinkedIn has 740 million members. We find the few thousand who match your ideal client profile. You define your best prospect for us. Then we go find them.

(Even if you can find these people by yourself, it will take hours away from your work with your current clients.)

  • Invite about 100 of these best prospects every week to connect with you on LinkedIn.
  • Send a welcome message to those who accept your invitation and connect.

(Typically 15% or more. Currently, over 25% of those I invite are connecting!)

  • Deliver something of value to them from you, and then do it again!
  • Begin a “drip campaign” of carefully timed messages, providing more value. These messages give…give… give…and then ask. No pitches!

All these messages come from you personally. We want and expect your input in developing them…unless you want us to just do it. You can follow the threads and adjust your messages as you see better ways to engage your prospects. We’re always ready to talk with you about improving your messaging.

See a “hot” prospect you want to engage with your unique message? Take over the exchange manually!

Click here to learn how you can put this program to work for YOU!

Would You Like to Publish a Blog Like This One?

Want new ways to engage your prospects and clients? Unity Copywriting writes the materials that help you stay top of their minds.  Let’s discuss how these materials can help you with your marketing!

What Can a Family Business Coach Do for You?

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What is a Family Business Coach?

Family businesses are unique. You work with the same people you eat with, sleep with, and relate to in your personal life. 

How do you conduct a professional relationship in one setting and a familial one in another? It can be a delicate balance. 

A family business coach understands the issues in this balance. They can help you, and your partners/family members, compartmentalize these roles while blending them.

Like any coach, their main role is to open your, and your partners’, eyes to the things you don’t see from the inside.

https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1531545514256-b1400bc00f31?ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&auto=format&fit=crop&w=774&q=80

How a Family Business Coach Can Help You

In your family and in your business, issues arise. 

It’s important to do your best to avoid having business issues affect your relationships with family members.

You also want to avoid having home life issues affect your business relationships to the detriment of business results.

Your family business coach must be your trusted confidant for both sides of this. They can help you see ways to keep these issues from spilling over to where they don’t belong.

What Does Family Business Coaching Do?

As with all coaches, a family business coach only does one thing. That is to help you see what you can’t see from the inside. You’re looking at the trees – the coach will look at the forest and help you see that view.

Good coaches simply ask questions, listen to the answers, and suggest better ways for you to view certain things. Their role ends there; they don’t do anything for you except that. Of course, you’re likely to be resistant to taking a different view than has been your habit.  They’ll likely work with you at some length to help you see how to resolve whatever issues are troubling you. They’ll help you and your partners see how you could deal with something differently to improve the results of your family relationships and your business relationships and performance.

Benefits of Hiring a Family Business Coach

It’s very difficult for most people to avoid some carryover when you live and work with the same people.

Since it may be very hard for you and your partners to see how to avoid that, coaching can be a great help in your family and your family business.

I wish you the greatest success in your family life and in your business. I recommend you consider hiring a coach to help you smooth the way for both roles.

What is Business Coaching? The Definitive Guide

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How Will A Coach Help Your Business?

Coaching in sports is visible. You can see how a coach helps a golfer or a basketball team get to the top of their game. What is coaching in business? That seems a little different, doesn’t it?

Continue reading to learn how the coaching concept applies in business!

https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1516880711640-ef7db81be3e1?ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&auto=format&fit=crop&w=1500&q=80

What is Business Coaching?

A business coach, like a sports coach, is your trusted partner. A coach sees things you can’t see. When a golfer is consistently pulling the ball left of the target, he or she may not understand what they’re doing to make that happen. The coach can see the little change in grip or backswing that’s causing the ball to go left. The golfer can’t see it until the coach points it out.

If you’re continually losing sales at the 11th hour, or you have trouble communicating with a member of your team, you may not see what the issue is. Your coach, looking from the outside, can analyze what you’re doing and help you with a solution.

What Does a Business Coach Do?

What is business coaching?

Analyzing what you are doing is what business coaching is about. Except for that, a business coach doesn’t really do anything, 

The coach then helps you see how to do what you do more effectively. One of a coach’s key skills is to present this new idea to you in a way that is not threatening to you, The new idea may well challenge your usual way of being and you must be receptive to that.

We’re creatures of habit. We do things in patterns. Helping you break a pattern that’s not serving you well is what your coach is there to do.

The coach’s only “doing” is to help you do better.

Why Do You Need Business Coaching?

You need a business coach to help you see what you’re blind to.

How many times have you driven to your office, and can’t remember anything you saw along the way? Or been on a highway listening to an audiobook, or deep in thought about an issue in your life, and missed an exit you needed to take?

These are examples of things you can’t, or don’t, see, Your coach may not help you be more observant when you drive to work. Business coaching is what will help you break the pattern of how you conduct a sales conversation or communicate with that team member.

 

Types of Business Coaches

Business coaches usually have a specialty they are especially skilled and observant about. 

There are:

  • Sales coaches.
  • Team-building coaches.
  • Marketing coaches.
  • Communication coaches.
  • Social media coaches – sometimes specialized.in LinkedIn, Facebook or another platform.
  • Public speaking coaches.
  • Coaches for specific software applications, such as Zoom or Constant Contact.
  • Financial analysis coaches.
  • Etc., etc.

You get the idea. Business coaching is what you decide it should be! You can find a coach to help you with literally any specialized area of business.

Difference Between a Business Coach and a Consultant

Business coaching is what helps you do something, or do it better.

Business consulting is doing something for you. Perhaps the consultant leads your sales team. Or they manage a big construction project.

A coach works to help you or your business perform well. A consultant works in your business to perform a task.

Who needs a coach? Everyone needs a coach if they want to excel at what they do. 

Have you ever seen a champion in any sport without a coach? You never will!  They’ll likely have several coaches for different specific skills.

You’ll never see an industry-leading business or business leader without a coach, either! They also will likely have several coaches.

Technology Builds A Fire Under Teamwork

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Technology Helps Teamwork Produce

Teamwork can supercharge productivity, when the team has the right tools and technology to work with.

Here’s a guy who found the existing tools inadequate. So he built his own, made it adaptable to other businesses, and sells it to them. Good teamwork requires good tools. Be sure to give them the right ones!

Read on for the whole story.

A group of worker with teamwork that uses technology and tools to build a house

Teamwork Requires Tools to Produce Results

How productive would the team in the picture be if they had no hammers, saws, drills or screwdrivers? Skills and ability are, of course, important. Only with the right tools though can the skills and ability be effectively applied. 

Teams can do more than the sum of what the individual members could do working solo…IF they have appropriate tools for the task at hand.

Collaboration is Vital in Business

Peter Coppinger is the CEO of a company aptly named Teamwork, He tells the story of how he came to realize they needed to develop a teamwork tool.

In a complex business environment, nobody has all the answers. Collaboration with others inside and outside the company is vital to obtaining optimum results. Here’s a reading recommendation that elaborates on this concept. Benjamin Hardy and Dan Sullivan wrote Who not How. They explain that striving to learn HOW to do things can limit your productivity when there’s a WHO to do it more expertly. Hire the WHO and concentrate on your areas of expertise.

The members of a team must communicate with each other to do their work effectively.

On a worksite like the one in the picture, communication is face-to-face.

In a business environment, team members may be separated by thousands of miles. 

Technology Assists Collaboration

As Peter’s company grew, teams expanded internationally. They found that a real-time document management system was needed to keep everyone up to date.

They sampled all the software available and found the one that showed the most promise. Even it turned out to be hard and confusing to use. When it’s hard and confusing to use something, people tend not to use it. That results in people not being “in the loop” on important information.

New Solution Required!

Teamwork learned that other companies were experiencing similar frustration with the available technology. So, they saw a business opportunity. They developed a clearly defined set of requirements for Teamwork Spaces. Once they had that they turned the project over to an Irish development team to build it.

Coppinger was initially reluctant to let the work out of his own shop. However, he realized that collaboration is at the center of everything the company does. So farming out the development of the technology was the right thing to do. They made sure that the app developed by the Irish team was easy to use for people at all levels in the company, and for outside collaborators.

With their old system, people didn’t always keep up with information they needed to know. Sometimes management couldn’t actually tell who was up to date on that information. So they put the Required Reading feature front and center on the new dashboard.

Teamwork, living up to their name, is all about helping every team member contribute to the work they’re responsible for. When they found nothing on the market to make that happen, they built it! Sometimes you need to make your own tools. If you can sell them to others, so much the better!

A few key points from the article:

  • Teamwork is key to productivity.
  • Teams need tools (in this case, technology) to maximize their productivity.
  • When the right technology is not available, build it!
  • If others are suffering the same woes, sell the technology to them!

Note: Archived issues of The Unity Community are available here. Search that page for keywords representing your particular interest. Most articles offer suggestions for ways of improving business and personal relationships. Keep in mind that business is done by…people. Every business concern is essentially an inter-personal concern. 

A “Shot in the Arm” Every Week!

Eric Lofholm is my friend, mentor and sales coach. He hosts a 30-minute motivational call every Thursday (recently changed from daily).  The call is at 7:30 AM Pacific time. Register for it here. You’ll find instructions on how to join the call on Facebook, Zoom, by phone, or in a recording you can access on your time. 

Let’s Talk!

How’s the teamwork in your organization? Do the teams have the tools they need? Want to talk about it? Reply to this message or click here if you’d like to chat by Zoom on the 

phone.

Do you like The Unity Community?

Do you find value in the articles?

What’s good about it?

What would make it even more valuable for you? 

Suggestions for topics in future issues? Do you have something you’d like to contribute? It can be your work…or someone else’s. I’ll give you and the author ample credit for your contribution if I use it.

Your thoughts, suggestions and comments are always welcome. Reply to this message, or go here if you’d like to chat on the phone or Zoom. 

Get too Much Email?

Today’s issue is going to all my subscribers. If you’re among my monthly subscribers, you’ll receive your next issue on October 4, 2021.

If the monthly schedule suits you better, just reply to this message with the word “MONTHLY” in the message or subject line. If you elect that option, you can still check out the weekly issues at your convenience here. Since your last monthly issue, we’ve discussed:

Collapse of Christianity? – Published 30 August 2021

Cannabis is Here to Stay – Published 24 August 2021

Make Your Brain Younger! – Published 16 August 2021

Find New |Joy in Relationships – Published 9 August 2021

 

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Be A Leader, Not A Manager!

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A leader doesn’t tell people what to do! Does that strike you as a contradiction? Read on.

In these letters, we’ve often examined aspects of what constitutes genuine leadership. Recently I listened to one of the best in-depth looks at this issue I’ve come across.

We’ll learn that the leader’s job is to provide the vision and why that vision is powerful, and what success looks like. Then he or she must get out of the way and let people do their jobs.

People may come back with questions. Of course, those questions must be answered. If they need support, emotionally or functionally, it’s the leader’s job is to provide that. The point though is that the leader doesn’t manage. The leader empowers people to do their work in a supportive environment.

Here’s Ben Hardy, one of my favorite sources for inspiration and great unique ideas, discussing truly great leadership. The idea of leading without managing is one of the cornerstones of modern leadership theory. Sadly, it gets more lip service than true adherence.

Useful background for what I’m about to offer can be found in my several-weeks-ago issue. There we discussed Ben Hardy/Dan Sullivan’s book, Who Not How. Ben refers to it often in today’s video.

Benjamin Hardy holds a Ph.D. in organizational psychology. He’s also the author of Personality Isn’t Permanent and several other books exploring personality change. He knows what he’s talking about!

The three things people need to do their jobs are:

  • Competence to do the work, and confidence in their competence.
  • Autonomy – the authority to apply their skills. They must be in control of how they do their jobs.
  • Connectedness – Being connected with team members is highly empowering.

One who takes any of this away is disempowering the worker and stripping them of the important elements they need to carry on effectively. The person guilty of this is trying to be a manager, and is not a leader. “Managing” people is an inefficient way of trying to get anything done. It usually results in the loss of the best talent, and the remaining people are unmotivated.

Ben discusses three stages of human development, a Robert Keegan model. I’ll briefly describe them here. He does a much better job of imparting a full understanding of them than I can do here in a few words,

  • Dependence – The socializing self – taking all sense of identity and direction from others.
  • Independence – Self-authorship – having one’s own goals and pursuing them without relationship with others. The only relationships an independent person engages in are those he or she believes will further his or her goals.
  • Self-transforming stage – two or more people share goals and solutions, neither imposing views on the other, but sharing views to result in the best solution they can see together – the team is better than the sum of the members.

In that third stage, mutual respect and trust are vital. If one party tries to dominate the goals, visions, and outcomes, the effort breaks down.

Be a leader! Don’t be a manager! Learn the psychology behind this here.

Achieve More By Doing Less!

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Many people believe they can be more productive by striving to do more.

Most people will achieve more by doing less rather than by doing more. The key is to do more of what’s important by doing fewer things.

Most of the many things on a typical day’s to-do list mean very little in the day’s results. They may be enjoyable interludes but not very productive. They can be done in leisure time or not at all with no effect on results.

Such things as checking social media posts or messages, texts, emails, etc. are all unproductive, unless you need information from one of those messages to do something important. Many people get consumed by these tasks during what should be the most productive part of their day. Other pressures can also draw us away from what’s most important. In today’s world, early-morning message-checking is probably the most prevalent.

You can scan your list of messages in a few seconds to see if there’s anything important and urgent in them. Do not open any other messages during your productive day.

Max Phillips posted this article on Medium.com several months ago. It discusses 7 time-wasters low-productivity people engage in. Avoid them!

Achieve More By Doing Less
Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash

Prioritize ruthlessly. Determine what two or three (no more than three) items will “move the needle” each day. Do those few things first every day. When they’re done, you can work on second-, then third-priority items with whatever time is left.

Brian Tracy’s Eat That Frog! and a quote from Jim Collins emphasize these concepts elegantly.


Brian’s book focuses on the idea of doing the most difficult, least enjoyable task (such as eating a live frog!) first. When you have that done, you can be pretty sure the rest of the day will go easier.

Jim’s quote, “If you have more than three priorities, you don’t have any” needs no explanation.

If you so choose, continue working after the first two to four hours working on high-priority items – just recognize you’ll probably get less done per hour.

Eric Lofholm (see below) promotes the idea of measuring time in results per hour rather than minutes per hour. What you accomplish is much more important than the time you devote to it.

Another of Eric’s important concepts is an idea called “last productive day”. Decide what is the last date you commit to being productive. For him, it’s the day before his 75th birthday. He has an app on his phone that counts down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until that date. Having already passed that time in my life, I’ve settled on the day before my 90th birthday.

The idea behind this concept is that we always have certain knowledge of how long we have to accomplish our life goals. Of course, we can continue working after that date if we so choose. It’s not a prediction of retirement or death. We’re just committing to be optimally productive at least to that date.

A Positive Mindset Makes all the Difference!

My friend, mentor and sales coach, Eric Lofholm, hosts a 15-minute motivational call every business day, and sometimes even on holidays. The call is at 7:45 AM Pacific time. Register for the call here. You’ll find instructions on how to join the call on Facebook, by phone or soon, Eric says, on LinkedIn.

Eric is unique in that his free programs offer solid value rather than just sales hype. This short conversation is serious training, and serious motivation, and it’s completely free of charge. Though there’s sometimes an offer to sign onto a paid program, that’s separate from the training and inspiration.

This call is a great way to get yourself started with a positive mindset every day.

Sleep Well = Perform Well

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In recent years, we’ve heard a lot about sleep as an important factor in our performance. Until I saw the article I refer to here, everything I’ve seen related to quantity and quality of sleep.

Several years ago, as Chief Pilot for a small air freight company. I was often called upon to substitute for a pilot who was unavailable for his or her scheduled flight. This could mean anything from an all-night run to a mid-morning flight. Naturally, my sleep schedule varied greatly.

Comparing that time to now, I’m quite sure my mood is more settled now when I sleep on a very consistent schedule.

Here’s Inc. magazine’s Bill Murphy Jr. discussing a study which indicates that consistency of sleep schedule is important to effective rest. To the surprise of many, this study says you can’t “make up” for missing sleep with more sleep hours! I guess you could say, “Lost sleep is never found!”

For anyone who works “Swing shifts” – a different shift every week – it may be impossible to avoid this. That’s not as common now in the information age as it was a few years ago. If you’re one of the few so affected, you might want to encourage your employer to reconsider that policy.

I haven’t done a lot of research on this thought. It seems to me this issue is likely a root cause of the phenomenon known as “jet lag”. If you’ve traveled across multiple time zones you’re no doubt familiar with that. For many, it results in serious disorientation for up to a week after arriving in a new time zone.

So if you’re used to sleeping at different hours on different days, you may want to consider sleeping more regularly.

Success And The Impostor Syndrome

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Recently I’ve been employing the services of a virtual assistant named Jeff Lucas. He’s employed by Smart VA’s, a service founded by Kristy Yoder. Kristy regularly publishes a video presentation on YouTube about some business idea.

Success And The Impostor Syndrome

The one I just received discussed the “Impostor Syndrome”, the sense that you’ve achieved more than you somehow deserve. This feeling is more common than you might think!

Drawing from the work of Dr.Valerie Young, Kristy identifies five types of people who entertain feelings of being unqualified for the position they hold or the success they enjoy.

If you feel that you’ve “lucked into” your success or accomplishments, see if you match one of these types of people.

The encouraging news is that you can overcome these feelings if you have them. Each of these types of “impostors” can utilize a specific mindset change to make this happen.

Do you or someone you know have thoughts of having achieved more than you deserve? Check out this 11-minute exploration of the Impostor Syndrome and its antidotes.