Sweeping, The Journal of Chimney and Venting Technology
"Fear less; hope more.
Eat less; chew more.
Talk less; say more."
-Swedish quote from "Dear Abby"
Last month the world lost a syndicated icon
when Pauline Phillips, better known to many of us as “Dear Abby,” lost her
battle with Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 94. Her column lives on in the
pen of her daughter, Jeanne, but when I reflect on the legacy that she created
in the 57 years of her column, I can’t help but think of the correlation
between the influence of decades of her accumulated advice and the volumes of
invaluable counsel association members give each other every day.
So I thought I would share.
One of the advantages of being in an
association is the opportunity to pick the brains of your
professional peers to get ideas and find solutions. A couple of years ago I
facilitated a group discussion at a convention about practical business tips
based on real life input from small business owners
across the country. Between the information I gathered ahead of time and the
plethora of ideas shared during the session itself, I ended up with a nice list
of over 200 tips.
In the interest of a relatively easy read for
you this month, here’s a sampling of the professional advice that was collected
in the area of leadership and development. Perhaps some of this will trigger
some of your own thoughts as you plan strategies for the year ahead.
5 Tips on Managing Yourself
·
Recognize
when you’ve outrun your abilities. When one entrepreneur saw that her skills
were not adequate to manage her company, she hired a president to handle
day-to-day operations. Could you use a business or office manager?
·
Get a business
coach. Skilled consultants can help you learn how to take your company to the
next level. Resources such as SCORE can help (www.score.org).
·
Open
yourself to being transformed. Listen, really listen, to employees. Let go of
old notions of leadership (managing by fear, for example).
·
Be
self-aware. Many business owners say self-awareness is essential to
understanding what leadership style works for you.
·
Be a servant
leader. Consider it your responsibility to serve employees and customers.
5 Tips on Creating an Innovative Environment
·
Show your
employees and/or peers that you think of innovation as an ongoing process. Some
ideas will work and many won’t. Keep experimenting.
·
Listen,
listen, listen. Innovation is a collaborative process.
·
Be open to
“accidents,” the unexpected connections that spark new ideas. Inspiration comes
from everywhere—often from outside your own field.
·
Draw on your
own employees—they know the company’s problems and goals best. This is probably
one time you don’t need outside consultants.
·
Be patient.
Creativity can’t be hurried.
5 Tips for Renewing Yourself as a Leader
·
Take a
time-out each day. Put a “Gone Thinking” sign on your door and don’t let anyone
disturb you.
·
Pursue hobbies
and interests outside your business. They’ll provide relaxation and may inspire
creative ideas that you can feed back into the business.
·
Take a
vacation or a sabbatical.
·
Spend time
with your family. Kids provide a refreshing perspective. If you don’t have kids
of your own, consider spending time with friends or family who do.
·
Do something
you’ve always wanted to do but never did—learn a new instrument, take a course
in acting, learn to fly, take up gardening, you name it.
5 Tips on How to Be More Efficient
·
Don’t start
your office organizing by shopping for containers. Determine what files and
books you need to store, measure them, then go to the store.
·
Declutter. File, act on or toss papers and emails instead of letting them pile high on
your desk. You should be able to make a decision immediately as papers cross
your desk.
·
Take
advantage of electronic devices and the abundance of digital programs available
to categorize work.
·
Choose the
calendar system that’s best for your organizational style, and stick with it.
If it is computer-based, back up, back up, back up!
·
Manage your
time ruthlessly.
5 Tips to Get a Good Mentor
·
Think about the end result. Let your mentor know what advice you want for success. Do you
need advice on managing cash flow or a mentor to help keep you energized and
motivated? Both are good. Be clear.
·
Be prepared. Share a
snapshot of your business today. Share goals, so your mentor has a picture of
your dream for success. Then, ask questions and listen for great ideas.
·
More is better. Develop a
network. No one person has all the answers. Not you, your CPA, your mentor. You
may want a mentor for business planning and a mentor for finance and cash flow.
·
Good cash flow
is important especially at start-up and growth stages. Always be wary of
economic slowdowns. A mentor can help you plan a collections policy, make plans
for a line of credit and project cash flow based on sales.
·
Seek industry expertise. Find a mentor who can address industry specific
issues.
5 Tips on Networking
·
Consider
joining or creating your own industry management information exchange group. This
is small group of your peers, typically no more than 12, from non-competing
geographical markets that review each other’s operations serving as a panel of
confidential advisers with the intent of helping each other’s businesses be as
strong as they can possibly be.
·
Join your
local Chamber of Commerce and go to the meetings/events
·
Join local
service groups such as Rotary, Sertoma, Kiwanis, etc.
·
Join an area
professional networking group (i.e. www.bni.com or www.bnicanada.ca), or a free online professional networking site such as
LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com).
·
Join your industry association if you are not already a member and attend their annual or regional conferences.
Don't let yourself get overwhelmed. There's great advice out there everywhere, you just need to look around and make the decision to act. In a 1990 interview with Larry King, Pauline Phillips exclaimed, "There is always an answer, even it it's say, look, pal, you can't change anybody but yourself."
Until next time, here's to good advice and to your continued success!
-Mark
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