I was speaking to my son at school yesterday, and he was saying how great his new tutor is (a surprise in it’s self). The reason for this outpouring of praise was that his tutor had been setting him deadlines for getting things done, and then holding him accountable to achieve them (even more surprisingly). Now you might well think that this is the last thing that a teenager would want, but in fact he has recognised how much this type of pushing and pulling has allowed him to achieve in a relatively short of space of time. So in fact it is because of the constant badgering, rather than in spite of it, that he has pulled his finger out, and finally done the key things he needs to be doing for all his university applications.

This conversation just reminded me how important the setting of deadlines is in the coaching process. Getting the business owner to agree to taking certain actions before the next meeting means that things constantly move forward at a far greater rate, than if they are left to do things in their own time. It is also why I try to keep the meeting dates every 3 to 4 weeks at the outside, because otherwise things get left, and nothing progresses. It is natural way for most people to leave the tasks to the last moment, rather than set time aside. So if we don’t meet for 5 or 6 weeks, there is a mad scramble a day or so before I turn up, and more often than not an admission that the “homework” has not been completed. Keeping deadlines tight, and pushing people to stick to them, helps focus the mind and ensure that time is allocated to the key tasks set.

So if you have difficulty finding time to work on the business, find yourself a coach. You’ll never look back.

I recently had a call from someone who had received a marketing letter from me, who said that he thought that maybe I could be just the person he needed to help him. It turned out that he had a decent business which he had been running for years, but his words to describe it were something along the lines of “It’s O.K, but nothing ever changes. Whatever we seem to do, we get roughly the same turnover, with roughly the same profits, and so it goes on from year to year.” So he had finally decided to bring someone in from outside to make things charge.

The thing is that many business owners recognise they need to change the way things are done, but because they are so set in their ways, and so blinkered by looking at their business from the same perspective, that more often than not they end up merely tinkering with peripheral things and they don’t make the fundamental changes that will really make a difference.

Looking from outside (as I do) it’s often far easier to see what needs to change, and I can ask the awkward questions that no-one involved in the business feels able to do. Even when I start to make suggestions to instigate meaningful change, more often than not there will still be a certain amount of resistance, and it can take a lot of pushing and pulling to finally get the owner to take action.

Change begins either with a clear vision of what you want to achieve, or if it is beginning to get extremely uncomfortable where you are (or a combination of both). But even with these drivers, more often it is really useful to have someone to steer you in the right direction, and to help you take the right steps, so that the changes you make work out for the better. Fear of change because you might make it worse is a natural reaction, but if you keep on doing what you have always done, there is certainly no likelihood of anything improving.

Are you too nice? This may seem like an odd question, but you might be amazed at the number of business owners who are just that. They admit it themselves, and know that they should be tougher on their staff, but the fear of confrontation or upsetting their staff overpowers their need to deal with issues.

I used to think the statement “Why should I care what other people think of me?” as arrogant, and completely unacceptable. However, over the past 10 years or so of coaching I have come to realise that too many of us spend far too much time worrying about what others think, and are try to conform to what we think to be acceptable behaviour to those people close to us, either at work or in our home lives.

The thing is, as business owners we are not there to make friends, but to build a thriving enterprise which is profitable, and which gives stability and a steady income to our employees. If we spend too much time trying to ingratiate ourselves with our staff by “helping” with the tasks we have employed them to do, then we will not be spending enough time on growing the business, forming the strategy for the future, and managing our staff. In fact more often than not this can lead to missing key issues which can affect profitability and which could even lead to the closure of the business.

No-one will thank you if you go down this road. Your staff will respect you, thank you, and even become friends, if you can run an efficient, profitable business which ensures their family’s financial security and lifestyle.

So next time you find yourself giving your staff excuses, or covering for them, or even avoiding potential confrontations, think again. Isn’t it time you stopped being too nice, give some tough love, and consider the bigger picture.

I have just come back from my two week holiday, which I spent at home having a very relaxing and enjoyable time. Obviously it helped having beautiful sunny weather for almost the entire two weeks, and it meant I could do lots of outdoor activities such as bike rides with my children, playing golf, watching cricket, swimming in the local river and other simple pleasures which I love (drinking a bottle of wine in the sun!).

The thing is I am able to truly relax, because I have a business which will keep going when I am not there, and I know when I get back there won’t be lots of issues and problems to sort out. My team knows what is going on, they are clear on their own roles and responsibilities, and they can look after our clients in my absence. So when I came back into work on Monday morning, within an hour I had cleared any issues which were outstanding, and was completely back in control, so I could push forward with our marketing and looking for new clients.

But how many business owners are in a position like this, where their staff look after the business while they are away, they deal with any issues as and when they arise, and they can be certain that on their return from holiday, all will be well, and they will not be stressed and harassed within a day or two of getting back? Is this a scenario you would like to have, but you can’t envisage how to make it happen? Take a good look at your business structure and ask yourself where you are short of staff, and what you could off-load. Look at the financial status of your business and work out what you would need to allow yourself to employ people, so that the business can work without you. Then start taking the first steps to making the necessary changes.

Holidays should refresh you, and allow you to return re-invigorated and full of enthusiasm. So why ruin it all by having a business which takes all those benefits away within days of your return? If you want help making this a reality, why not give me a call?