One of my favourite cartoons, possibly in Punch magazine or some such publication was a picture of a whole load of sea birds sitting on some rocks beside a packet of drugs which had washed up on the shore, with the punch line underneath, “No tern, unstoned”.

The reason I bring this up is because, I have recently had the phrase, “no stone unturned” drawn to mind a couple of times by clients who were trying to achieve something really important to them without perhaps investigating all the options.

What I always coach my clients to do, is to examine any given situation as fully as possible, decide on what needs to be done, and then do everything you can to make sure the right outcome arises. For example if you are chasing after a new client, don’t just call once and immediately take no for an answer. Think about what else you could say or do, and keep going back until either you get a positive outcome, or you genuinely exhaust all the options you have considered. Of course things don’t always work out exactly as you had planned or hoped, but you should always be able to think “well I did everything I could” rather than “if only…” or “I wonder if….” Because that will leave you feeling cross with yourself, or that you have let yourself down (and potentially your team).

So remember, what ever it is that really matters, and could make a significant difference to your business or your life, make sure you leave “no stone unturned”, and at least then you know that you have done your best. If you find it hard to push things to the limit, then get yourself a coach who won’t let you off the hook.