Maximizing the Human Potential

Staying Productive in the Summer

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andrew shaffer staying productive in the summer

My wife and I like to take advantage of the kids being out of school to do some activities with the kids. When we start planning our activities and our summer is busy! By the time we schedule camping trips, vacations, weekends at the beach, camps for the kids, and time with friends, the summer just flies by! On top of all that I’m still expected to work!  And, everyone I work with is juggling the same crazy summer schedules! How is anyone expected to stay productive?

Staying Productive in the Summer

Do you find it harder to stay productive in the summer months? I know I do. People that take family vacations. And, they use vacation time to take off Fridays to make long weekends for beach trips or camping weekends.

I have heard many times that people just like to ride out the summer and expect to get busy again in September, once the kids are back in school. While the summer months are more difficult, it doesn’t have to be a slow time. This week I am sharing some tips for staying productive through the summer months, while still being able to enjoy yourself!

Plan for it

We know we are taking vacations and we must plan for it. Most of us have a last-minute push before we go on vacation. We create a list of things we must do before we leave. We do this so we don’t leave any loose strings while we are gone. But do we plan for what needs to be done before we get back? Planning for work to get done while you are away, will benefit you in many ways. First, when you get back you won’t have as many unfinished tasks to attend to. Second, there will be less impact on those that are still at work.

We know our colleagues are taking vacations. We have a last-minute push to get our tasks done before we leave, and maybe even some tasks that need to get done while we are away. But how often do we consider our colleagues vacation schedules. Have you ever been in the situation where you needed input from a colleague on a project, only to find out they are on vacation? Then, you must wait until they get back to get your answer! Perhaps you could have prioritized your tasks differently so you could get what you needed from the colleague BEFORE they went on vacation!

It takes a little coordination and up-front effort but knowing when you and your colleagues will be out of the office, and planning for it ahead of time, can help your productivity this summer.

Ask for help

Planning can help, but it isn’t perfect.  There are tasks that need your input when you are out of the office. It is a good idea to ask for help from a colleague, while you are out of the office. Delegate your authority to someone while you are out of the office.  The key here isn’t just to list a point of contact. For example, “If you need immediate assistance contact Jim.” If I call Jim and all he can do is take a message and let me know when you’ll be back in the office, Jim isn’t really a delegate is he?

Find someone competent that you TRUST. Then, delegate full authority to them in your absence for any decisions or input needed on your behalf. The key here is to trust your delegate and allow them to make decisions. This might mean you have to brief them on project status or objectives before leaving. And, you’ll have to live with any decisions make on your behalf. Delegating authority can help others remain productive while you are away and relieve some of the stress when you get back!

This Week’s Challenge

Taking a vacation over the summer is important. Spending time with family and friends this summer can help you recharge your batteries and stay fresh and focused. Too many times our vacations are interrupted by work. Or, you dread of all the things you must do when you get back. Before your next vacation, take some time to plan for getting your projects done while out of the office, and delegating someone you trust to fill in while you are away. Now go enjoy the summer!

If you would like to discuss more ways to help your business grow or if you feel you have a specific problem that needs to be addressed, please reach out to me.

Why is Leadership Important to Me?

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andrew shaffer consulting leadership is importantI was asked a question last week that I had never been asked, and I didn’t really know the answer too. I often say that I’ve always gravitated to a leadership position. But, I was asked why. I never really thought about it until he asked me and now, I can’t get it off my mind. I am going to use today’s blog to help answer this question for me, and to share with you why I think leadership is important.

Why is Leadership Important to Me?

First and foremost, management and leadership are NOT the same thing. Management is about getting tasks done, leadership is about developing people. To equate this to sports, a coach manages a game plan (management), but coaches the players perform better (leadership).

When I was asked why I gravitated to leadership, my initial response was that it was something natural in me. But when I reflected on the question, I realized it was something deeper. I concluded that leadership is important to be because of the impact that good leaders have had on my life. And, probably because of the impact that bad leaders had on my life, as well. Here are some examples of how leadership had an impact on my life, and how I’ve taken that lesson with me many years later.

Coaches

When I was in middle school, I fell in love with playing basketball. I was taller than average, so I could use my size to compensate for my lack of speed. The trouble was, I still wasn’t great. I was what they called the sixth man, which meant I didn’t start but got some playing time. I loved the game and would practice every chance I got (even in the snow). Between 8th and 9th grades I hit a growth spurt, and shot up over 6’. I was hoping for another growths spurt, but that didn’t happen.

When I got into high school though I wanted to play college basketball. The high school varsity coach, for whatever reason, decided to work with me. He’d drive me to play in summer leagues and find camps that I could go to. I was still in 9th grade, and by no means was I a superstar. He invested his time, and I became a better ball player.

However, he doesn’t make the list because he taught basketball. He also became a mentor for my life. He’d offer advice and guidance on just navigating high school. He was able to help me make better decisions and become a better ball player, student, and person.  When I coach my kids, I try to model myself after him.

Supervisors

In my book, I talk about my Lead Petty Officer (LPO) at my first duty station in the Navy. He was probably the best LPO I had while in the Navy. Not that the others weren’t good, but he brought something different to the position. As I am writing this, I think this experience taught me the difference between leadership and management.

Under his lead, I learned the mechanics of running a maintenance shop (management) as well as how to lead people. In my experience (and faded memories) he enabled me to grow and learn my job to a level higher than most of my peers. He encouraged me to take on the most challenging problems, and gave me the resources I needed to be successful. He encouraged all of us to take advantage of the various learning opportunities available so we could advance our careers. As I became more proficient in my job, he assigned junior technicians to work with me to help them become better.

My LPO made the list because of his direction, I became a better technician and better sailor. He also introduced me to what leadership really means. In my careers since then, I’ve tried to encourage people to grow, give them tools to be successful, and develop future leaders.

Father

Last and certainly not least I my father. Now his leadership cannot be completely summed up in a few short paragraphs, but the biggest lesson I learned from him was faith. My father always had faith in me, or at least let me believe he did. I’ll share a couple quick examples of how my father influenced me.

He coached little league baseball. He worked shift work at the time and it was difficult, but he made every effort he could to be at all my practices and games. This was such a positive influence on my, that I go out of my way to coach for my kids. He taught me the importance of being there as a father (even when you’re not wanted.)

In high school, I didn’t always stay on the straight and narrow. After an injury ended my basketball career, I didn’t always find constructive ways to spend my time. My father never gave up on me. He would challenge with questions like “what are you going to do now?”

He always knew that I had to make my own decisions. Eventually I answered his question and enlisted in the Navy. He was happy about that. In fact, the night before heading off to boot camp, I couldn’t sleep. He stayed up all night talking to me. Probably making sure I wasn’t going to sneak out the back door. From this I learned to have faith, and persistence. His persistence in challenging me to become better made me a better person, and perhaps better father.

This Week’s Challenge

This week I am going to challenge you with the same challenge laid before me. Why are you a leader? Or, why are you inspired to be a leader?

If you would like to discuss more ways to help your business grow or if you feel you have a specific problem that needs to be addressed, please reach out to me.

Accountability

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andrew shaffer consulting accountabilityOver the last week, many people have discussed with me the need for accountability. This might be because the year is still fresh and people know that accountability is necessary to be successful. Whatever the reason, people seem to be looking for guidance on how to hold themselves accountable and how to hold others accountable. This week, I thought I’d share some thoughts on accountability to help you become more successful in business and in life for 2019!

Accountability

We all know that accountability is an important factor to success. Accountability is typically introduced through school. We were held accountable for doing our homework, and if we didn’t do it there was typically some form of consequence. As we move into adulthood, we enter the workforce and there is some accountability there to perform to a certain standard, or lose our job.

I have also found that as people enter adulthood, some people struggle with accountability. Either with holding themselves accountable, or even holding others accountable. Being accountable requires discipline, which can be a struggle for some people. This article is going to explore three aspects of accountability and how YOU can become more successful.

To Yourself

The first person you have to be accountable to is yourself. Now this is probably the hardest of the three categories. I know, from my own experience, once I was on my own certain aspects of accountability went out the window. I no longer had anyone telling me when to come home, when to get up or what to eat. Over time, I had to develop a system of holding myself accountable because the consequences were catching up to me.

Holding yourself accountable requires self-discipline and integrity. You have to be able to do the right thing, even if nobody is watching. This is the most important aspect of accountability and makes it possible to hold others accountable. This is leading by example. You will struggle to hold others accountable, if they see that you cannot hold yourself accountable. To be successful create a system of holding yourself accountable. Maybe an accountability partner, or support group can be beneficial. No matter what you choose to do to hold yourself accountable, DO NOT LET YOURSELF OFF THE HOOK when you slip.

To Your Company

Make a habit of accountability at your company. This applies to supervisors, peers and direct reports. You’d be surprised how much people actually appreciate being held accountable, and how much more you’ll be respected. In the workplace, this can be as simple as a follow up. When you assign tasks to direct reports, follow up to make sure they are done, and done to the level you expect.

When working with peers, follow the same advice. If you need support from your marketing department, or the leader of another team, be sure to follow up. When your boss promises she’ll get you the help you need, follow up with her. I realize holding your boss accountable might take a little political consideration, but if she is honest, she’ll appreciate the accountability. Afterall she expects it from you, right?

By holding people accountable for what they say, you not only help improve productivity, you also prove that what you asked for is important. Another way to look at it. If you asked someone that worked for you to provide a report on Monday, and you don’t read it, why did you ask for it? Sooner or later, it’ll give the impression to your team that the work isn’t important. If you offer support to someone and don’t follow through their trust in you will begin to erode.

To Your Customers

It doesn’t matter if you are in retail or provide a service, you have to be accountable to your customers and clients. This doesn’t mean the customer is always right, although you shouldn’t let them know that. This doesn’t mean you give the client everything they want. It DOES mean that you do what you say and say what you do. Last week I talked about the importance of your companies image and reputation. Being accountable to your clients means saying what you do and doing what you say.

Your customers come to you to fill a specific need or want. They also come with a certain level of expectations.  Being accountable to your customers means meeting (or exceeding) those expectations each and every time you do business. Mistakes cannot always be avoided, it happens, but when mistakes do happen you take every reasonable (and sometimes unreasonable) action necessary to regain that trust. Just like with being accountable to your company, once you lose the trust you may never have an opportunity to regain that trust

This Week’s Challenge

Develop a plan to focus on these three areas of accountability. Even if you already think you are focusing on accountability, take time to identify ways you can become even more effective. Adding accountability to your relationships with yourself, your company, and your customers will help your and your business grow.

If you would like to discuss more ways to help your business grow or if you feel you have a specific problem that needs to be addressed, please reach out to me.

Triangle of Success

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andrew shaffer triangle of successBecause we are still in January, I have decided to help you focus on getting 2019 started on the right track. My blogs this month aren’t going to be a rah-rah pep-talk (although, I hope they are somewhat inspiring), but offer practical ways to help you focus on your goals and achieve the success you desire in 2019. My goal is to help you and your business grow and reach its maximum potential. Today, let’s talk about the triangle of success.

Triangle of Success

Early in my career, I was taking a career development class the company offered. The course offered many of the strategies that you might expect, like determining what type of work you enjoy, like management or a technical career. We did exercises to help us find some of our strengths and personality preferences. The discussion was of course directed to help us find a career path within the company by helping us decide which career path (and steps to take) to be successful. If you’re curious, the results of the exercises did align with my interests and future career choices.

Aside from all that information, the HR Business Partner presenting the material suggested that there were three pillars to success. She referred to it as our PIE. PIE is Performance, Image, and Exposure. All three pieces of PIE are equally important to your success, and unless you focus on all three, you will not be able to reach your full potential.

Performance

Performance means exactly what you think it means: how well you do your job. Ironically performance isn’t related to how hard you work or even how well you think you do your job. Sometimes performance isn’t even how well your boss thinks you do your job.

Your performance is a measurement of how well you execute against a set of corporate or industry standards. Basically, your performance is an objective measurement of your production measured against a set of established standards. Standards might be: revenue generated, customer satisfaction scores, units produced, projects completed on time, projects completed in budget. Each of these things can be measured and evaluated against specific standards.

When you start measuring your performance, you can then compare your performance against:

  • Peer
  • Competition
  • Industry

With this data you will know if you are within the top 10% in each category. If you find you are not within the top 10%, you can develop and execute a plan to get there.

Top performance demands top pay. Which means you can charge a premium for your goods or services. If there is any doubt, you can buy a Chevy and get to work, but if you want the “Best or Nothing” you buy a Mercedes. If you want “The Ultimate Driving Machine” you buy a BMW. There is a reason Mercedes and BMW cost so much.

Image

Your image is basically your reputation. Before I’ll buy anything from YOU, I have to buy you. I have to believe what you are saying. I have to trust you and I have to like you. Otherwise, I am buying on price or desperation and if that is the case you probably won’t get repeat business.

Before any business meeting, I’ll research the person I am meeting and the company. I will view Facebook and LinkedIn pages. I’ll Google you and I’ll Google your company. Also, I’ll look on Glassdoor and Indeed to see what current and former employees are saying about your company.

I do this so I know who I am doing business with and their reputation. Think about it, if we’re doing business together, I want to be able to refer you to others. I want to be associated with companies that demonstrate integrity, honesty, and strong ethics. Anything else will be a poor reflection on me.

When I research you and your company, what will I find? Most people tend to ignore the Glassdoor and Indeed reviews because they think they don’t matter, but they do. They tell a clear story of how employees (current and former) feel about your company. If everyone seems disgruntled, what can your clients expect in terms of customer serve? If there is high turnover, what can you customers expect from your relationship? And, if your LinkedIn resume shows you change jobs every 6 months, can they expect to build a relationship with you?

Image is the hardest of the three to control, but you can influence it. Make sure when someone looks you up, they see integrity, honesty, and strong ethics. When you meet someone, show the same qualities.

Exposure

Exposure boils down to who knows you and what you do. A few weeks ago, I was talking to a potential client about a service I offer. I was asked who was using the service and what types of results were they having. He was asking about exposure. This is why business book authors have CEOs write and endorsement, and why companies list their high profile business clients on their website.

Your company and personal social media sites are prime examples of exposure. Use these to promote your business in a positive light. When you and your employees are recognized in the community, share it on your social media sites. If you are invited to speak at conferences or for an organization promote it. If you do charity work, promote that as well. I’m not saying do charity for the publicity, but if you are sponsoring a 5K run, let people know.

To improve your exposure, do great things, and be seen doing it. Represent your company in charity or community events. These things get positive publicity, and get people talking. As Jeffrey Gitomer says “It’s not who YOU know it’s who knows YOU!” Get out there so people know you and your business!

This Week’s Challenge

What ways can you improve your performance? What is your image and reputation? Does it reflect who you really are? What are you doing to improve your exposure to help your business or career grow? Set a plan in place to improve your PIE and execute your triangle of success!

If you would like to discuss more ways to help your business grow or if you feel you have a specific problem that needs to be addressed, please reach out to me.

Strategies for the New Year

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andrew shaffer consulting strategies for the new yearHappy New Year! A new year can mean hope, optimism, and a fresh start for many people. Businesses are executing updated business strategies; annual goals are reset. Some of us might even be creating some resolutions this year. However, if you are like me, and many people I know, you can start the year working on your goals, but in 3-6 weeks you’ll be back to your normal routine. This week I thought I’d share some strategies for the New Year to help you see your goals materialize in 2019!

Strategies for the New Year

Every year I set New Year Resolutions, in three categories: improve health, to improve my career, and to improve my relationships. I meet each of these with varying success, and I know I can do better. For example, to improve health. The week between Christmas and New Year, it is quite common to see me cleaning up the basement and digging out my exercise equipment. I’ll create a workout plan I think I’ll execute and I start exercising. By February something will happen that will take precedence. It could be a work deadline, start of spring sports, or even a cold bug circulating through the house.

The chaos of everyday life sets in and my resolutions get put on hold.  That chaos can’t go away. I still need (and want) to work. I still need to be a father and a husband. Instead of giving up or not setting resolutions, I am going to set the strategies I am going to utilize to help me be successful in 2019. I have recently been introduced to the Four Disciplines of Execution and decided to incorporate some of what I’ve learned there. These strategies will help with your individual resolutions, but they are even more powerful if you employ these strategies for your team goals.

Set and Measure Weekly Commitments

What gets measured, gets done. As a business leader, you know that if you want something done, you have to follow through on it. I can’t count how many times I’ve been in meetings when there is a new initiative introduced, tasks are assigned, and there is no follow up. As you can guess, the initiative didn’t go anywhere. Great ideas, poor execution.

To be successful you have to plan, execute and measure. Keep in mind that it is extremely difficult to make a plan on January 1 that you can keep all year. The chaos of life, and any number of unforeseeable obstacles can get in your way. Review and visit you plan weekly. Set ten to fifteen minutes aside each week to set weekly commitments. This week, I am going to do these three things, above and beyond the chaos, to get closer to the goal. Also, in the brief meeting (even for yourself) track your progress on last weeks commitments. Be careful to not let excuses prevent you from meeting your commitments. Doing two to three things EACH week, will help you get closer to your goals.

 Daily Reminders

When I first got a management job, my boss had a weekly staff meeting Monday mornings. She would pass down important information that we needed, and we would present progress, and issues we had the week before. Every Monday morning, when I’d get in the office, I’d start preparing for this meeting. And each week I’d ask myself the same question “What did I say I was going to do last week?” Then I’d scramble to find out what progress we made on those commitments.

Although the weekly accountability was useful, I probably could have been much more effective if I’d have kept some daily visual reminder of what we are accomplishing. Let me share a few examples. I watch (and coach) sports. In the game, everyone involved can generally see the score, and how much time is left (or inning in the case of baseball). Within an instant I know where we stand and what we need to do to be successful.

When you think of fundraisers, I’ve seen countless thermometers posted around offices showing how close we were to achieving a goal. These visual reminders will keep the commitments in the forefront of your mind, and your team. Scoreboards should be easy to update so they can be updated frequently and progress can be recognized. Using daily reminders will help prevent your goal from getting lost in the chaos.

Block Time

Some of the best career advice I ever received was to set aside an hour a day thinking about my career. I was confused, because I was already working 9-10 hours each day, didn’t that count? What about the times when I wake up at 2:30am worrying about something at the office? Did that count? Nope. This wasn’t just random advice, last spring I was had the opportunity to see Jeffery Gitomer at an event. He asked the audience how many people spend time each day thinking. Of course, most of the room raised their hands. He then challenged us to show him where we block off time in our day to think. Hands went down.

It is important to block off and spend time making your commitments. You and I both know that if you don’t block off time, then something in your daily chaos will fill that time. We are all busy and have a million things fighting for our attention. If we will work towards our commitments “when we get a minute” we’ll never find time to get it done. If it is important, block time in your schedule to make things happen. This might mean getting up an hour earlier, or going to be an hour later. It might mean missing a happy hour every once in a while, but I assure you this discipline will pay HUGE returns.

This Week’s Challenge

Make a commitment to achieve your goals for this year. Either the business goals you set within your company, or for your personal resolutions. Maybe both. Follow the strategy I presented today and watch 2019 be the year you become a shining star!

If you would like to discuss more ways to help your business grow or if you feel you have a specific problem that needs to be addressed, please reach out to me.

3 Tips for Setting Your 2019 Goals

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your 2019 goals andrew shaffer consultingAt this time of year, goal setting takes on many forms. Managers and executives are finalizing their 2019 strategic plans. Employees are being evaluated against last year’s goals and will soon be setting your 2019 goals. A few of us will be setting New Year Resolutions.

Whether it is personal or professional goals, there is no getting away from setting goals this time of year. Honestly this is the best part of the December madness, because I get excited about what I can accomplish in the new year. I am so excited, I thought I’d share some ideas to get YOU as excited about the new year!

3 Tips for Setting Your 2019 Goals

Typically, at this time of year, my boss would be scheduling a meeting with me to go over my performance evaluation for the year. In this meeting, we would review the goals I set at the beginning of the year, and he (or she) would proceed to tell me how well I did against those goals. Sound familiar?  Then early the following year, my boss would ask me to set goals for that year.

With the evaluation fresh on my mind, I would set goals vague enough, and low enough (while still being SMART) that I knew I could be successful at the end of the year. I mean why put myself out there and risk failing or a bad review? My career and pay were on the line!

I would make another mistake when setting a personal goal, typically around weight loss. I’d set a resolution for losing twenty pounds, or to exercise three times a week. And by sheer will power and stubbornness I manage to stick to a plan for about six weeks. Then I’d find an excuse to go back to my old habits.

These approaches rarely create dramatic improvements, and keep people in the same grind year after year. Here are some things to consider to make 2019 Your Best Year Ever!

Inspirational

Create an inspirational goal! Setting a goal that you know you can accomplish will not inspire you. Consider this, even if you achieve that goal, did you really drive your career forward? Probably not. Losing twenty pounds just for the sake of losing twenty pounds isn’t inspirational either. If your goals do not cause you to get excited with anticipation of accomplishing the goal, you might want to reconsider your goal.

Consider creating professional goals that will really drive your career forward. Set a goal to solve a vexing problem, or a common complaint with co-workers or customers. Solving a problem that makes the workplace better will inspire you, and help you grow your career. Instead of setting a goal to lose twenty pounds, you might consider a goal to be able to play ball with your kids, or to win the company golf league. In either of these cases, coming up a little short of full success will still make improvements in your career or health.

Drive Change

I recommend setting goals that really drive change. We’ve all heard the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. If you want different results you have to change. Your goals should cause you to change. Over the past few years, I have met many people that started their own business. And, almost every one of them commented on how important networking had been to growing their business. That was usually followed by, “and I never liked networking before.” The goal for these entrepreneurs was to grow their business, and because of that focus they had to change some habits. Driving change will allow you to become a better version of who you are!

Well-Defined

President Kennedy declared that NASA will put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Before that declaration NASA’s mission was simply to explore space. Because “exploring space” is not well defined, the Soviet Union was the first to launch a satellite into orbit. It was the well-defined challenge of putting a man on the moon that helped the United States win the Space Race. To this day, we are the only country to land a human on the moon and safely return them to earth. Your goal should be as well defined as walking on the moon. There is no ambiguity in that statement. We knew what had to happen and when. Make sure your goals are that clear and concise.

This Week’s Challenge

Start thinking of the personal and professional goals you have for you and our business. Are they inspirational, or just more of the same? Will they drive you to change, and become a better version of yourself? Are your goals so well defined that when you tell me what they are I will have the same picture?

If you would like to discuss more ways to help your business grow or if you feel you have a specific problem that needs to be addressed, please reach out to me.

I’m Overwhelmed

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i'm overwhelmed andrew shaffer consultingI’m busy. You’re busy. We are all busy! You can get overwhelmed with all of this busy-ness! My clients bring up this common topic as they are working to advance their business or career. There is just so much to do and so little time! Because this is generally a hectic month, and many people can feel overwhelmed, I thought I’d share with you a few strategies for dealing with a feeling of being overwhelmed!

I’m Overwhelmed

We’ve all felt overwhelmed. We look at our calendars, or our to-do lists and wonder how in the world we’ll get all this work done! It’s hard to know where to start when you are deciding to embark on a new project with so many things to be done. When that feeling is upon us it is easy to retreat, to allow ourselves to procrastinate, or even avoid it all together. Some people won’t even start because the task will look too daunting. When you are looking at a mountain of work, it is important to take that first step and tackle the challenge before you. Whether it is a project, your business, life, or a personal challenge, if it is worth doing, it is worth doing now. Here are some strategies for getting started!

Relax

The first thing I advise clients to do is relax! Being stressed is NOT going to help. This doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be a sense of importance or urgency to get started. It means don’t add to the stress by procrastinating or avoiding doing the work needed. I have seen enough people get worked up about all the things they do, they forget to get started! It is almost paralysis by analysis. The other symptom is they want to get so much work done that they will do anything to look busy, but they aren’t always productive! Your time is money, so spend it wisely!

Organize

Create a plan for what you must do. Identify all the pieces and figure out how they will fit together. There is a reason why successful businesses spend an enormous amount of time planning. I recently read The Great Game of Business and they have a six month process for planning. That means their strategic plan for 2019 started in the summer of 2018! Planning helps you identify all the pieces needed to accomplish your objective.

Execute

Now go do! Even if the first step is the wrong step, it gets you moving! The hardest step is the first step. Once you get started executing the plan the best you can, realize that there will have to be adjustments to the plan. Make sure to avoid the trap of continuously adjusting the plan, after all you spent a considerable amount of time putting it together. Your plan should have identified all the pieces needed to accomplish your objective. Often in our haste to get things done, we avoid, skip, or completely ignore the plan. The plan is to help you stay focused on the objective and allow you to measure your progress towards the goal.

This Week’s Challenge

Don’t allow yourself to get overwhelmed thinking of all the things you want to accomplish in 2019. Set yourself up for success! Begin by identifying your objectives, and in all the craziness that happens this time of year create the plan you need to be successful.

If you would like to discuss more ways to help your business grow or if you feel you have a specific problem that needs to be addressed, please reach out to me.

Ready for a Change

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ready for a change andrew shaffer consultingThis week the overwhelming topic that has come up when talking to clients or at networking events is change. There are a lot of people out there that are looking for something different. Some are looking for a change in career. Others are ready for a change in their results. And even a few are looking for, just something different. This week I am going to talk about making changes and what can might get in your way when trying to change.

Ready for a Change?

When I first started out in this career, I as invited to speak to a group of people at one of their meetings. As I sat there listening to this group, they expressed frustration with changes in the work place. They were tired of the changes they were being asked to do their job. They were frustrated with changes in management and management structures. There were a handful of other changes that make this group upset. So, their solution? Make a change!

As I talked with them, I helped them realize that it wasn’t the change that upset them. Everyone in that room had been an agent of change at some point in their career. What they resisted was being changed. They were willing to change, as long as the change came from them, and was something THEY wanted. When you decide you need to make a change, here are some things to consider.

What Do You Want

One of the first things to consider when making a change is what do you want? I have had prospects and clients approach me on several occasions saying they wanted a change in career, but they don’t know what they want. The key to lasting change is it has to be something you want. If you want to change jobs, and don’t know what job you want, you’re not likely to make the change you want. You’ll find that the new job is a lot like the old job, and not bringing you the change you desire.

When you decide you want a change in your career or business it is important to know what you want. If you don’t know what you want, start from the end and work backwards. What outcome are you trying to achieve? More happiness? A better standard of living? We are conditioned to do everything starting at the beginning. We start here and go there. Working backwards will help you get where you are going and the steps you need to get there.

Fear

One big detractor from making changes is fear. Most of the time the fear isn’t even real and is just an emotional fear. We fear change because it takes us out of our comfort zone. We might be asked to take a chance and do something we haven’t done before. What if you fail? What will people think? Who cares!?!

Failing is a part of life, and part of the learning process. Those that try new things are going to fail. Think of all the times  you’ve failed in the past and came out stronger for it. How many skinned knees did you have when learning to ride a bike? Ever go on a date that didn’t work out? Or have a job that didn’t work? Most likely you learned from these mistakes and now can ride a bike, been on a successful date, and have a better job. Fear is the biggest obstacle to success, and don’t let it hold you back!

Overwhelmed

I have some clients that have decided to change, and know what they want. They are willing to overcome the fear and fail to succeed. Great, but the journey in front of them feels daunting. These clients come to me because they feel overwhelmed. There is just so much work to do, how will they ever complete it? They don’t know what to do first so they don’t do anything! I remind them that it is just like eating a big meal, you have to do it one bite at a time!

Look, not doing anything is not going to help you make the changes you desire. The group I talked about in the intro knew that. Even if you try to make a change, and take make the wrong change, that is still progress. At least you know what NOT to do! When you are feeling overwhelmed, sit back, create a plan, and take action. As you start to make progress you will begin to feel less and less overwhelmed.

This Week’s Challenge

Decide you are going to embrace change. Now is the perfect time to start thinking of the changes you’d like to see in your career and business. We are rapidly approaching the end of the year. New year is a good time to start a new change. I know most people don’t set resolutions anymore, but maybe it is time to CHANGE that!

If you would like to discuss more ways to help your business grow or if you feel you have a specific problem that needs to be addressed, please reach out to me.

Finishing Strong

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finishing strong andrew shaffer consultingIt’s that time of year again! We just finished Halloween, the kids are jacked with a sugar rush from all the candy they received. We’re moving into the holidays filled with pie, cookies, family feasts and all the other treats this time of year brings! This is also a time when we begin to look back at what we accomplished this year, and perhaps start measuring how well we did compared to what we wanted to accomplish. How did you do? Well, if your still off track, or just want to end the year by finishing strong, it’s not too late! This week I am going to talk about how you can knock out those goals (or resolutions) you started but maybe didn’t complete this year!

Finishing Strong

I played sports when I was younger, and now I coach my kids as they play sports. One thing I remember my basketball and football coaches screaming at us as we were doing sprints at the end of a long practice was “The team that is in the best shape in the fourth quarter wins games!” They were right, many games are won or lost in the fourth quarter. Sports and business have so many parallels. We’re a third of the way through the fourth quarter of 2018. How can you finish strong?

Plan

Create a detailed plan and execute it. Hopefully you already have a plan, so the plan might just need adjusting. Again, in sports, coaches and players have a game plan before every game. They study the opponent, and they create a plan to give them the best chance to win. Inevitably, game conditions are not exactly as planned, and adjustments are made to the plan to adapt to conditions. Now is the time to evaluate your 2018 plan. You may have to reallocate resources or eliminate non-productive strategies. It is time to evaluate the game conditions (or business conditions) to determine what is working and what needs adjustment. Make the adjustments and execute.

Measure

There is a saying in business that what gets measured gets done. Set milestones, and measure your progress towards your goals. Measurements should be taken as often as practical. When you measure something, you focus on it. It becomes important.  If you have to manufacture a certain number of widgets, count them. How many per week or day do you have to accomplish? Count them! Count them with your team. When you are focusing on the end goal, you’ll find that you’ll solve all the little problems in your way. You’ll find ways to get the parts you need, you’ll help someone who is falling behind. The team comes together to see the count increase.

You don’t manufacture widgets? The same happens with sales, consulting, administrative work. Whatever your job function is, create a goal and measure your progress against it. Don’t get discouraged if you fall short. Determine what went wrong, and how do I fix it. Remember it’s the fourth quarter, your job is to execute!

Eliminate Distractions

So many things compete for our time, and when you’re focused on finishing strong you don’t have the luxury of distractions. There is no such thing as multitasking. Our brains cannot process two things at time, and distractions come in many forms, email, phone calls, news stories, office gossip, or Sunday’s football games. Ask yourself, “How are any of these helping you achieve your goals?” Unless you’re on the coaching staff of a professional football team, there is no reason to relive yesterday’s game on Monday. We’ve all heard the advice to tun off our email or silence our phones when we’re working on a project. Very few of us do it. I will share this though, the most productive people I know have the uncanny ability to focus on the project at hand and block out all distractions. Eliminate the distractions, don’t try to multitask, and focus on the task in front of you. You’ll find you are much more productive, and will be able to finish the fourth quarter strong!

This Week’s Challenge

A client of mine shared a story with me last week. She was running her first (and only) marathon. After about 22 miles, she started to get so physically sick that she was vomiting. She said she seriously considered quitting and trying again at another time. She had about four miles left and she was considering starting over! Eventually she came to her senses and finished the last four miles.

Many of us will get to this time of the year, see they are short of their goal, and decide they’ll try next year. This week’s challenge is to not give up. You’ve come this far, and you only have four miles left! Finish the marathon!

If you would like to discuss more ways to help your business grow or if you feel you have a specific problem that needs to be addressed, please reach out to me.

Pockets of Inspiration

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pockets of inspiration andrew shaffer consultingEvery week I try to share with you lessons that I’ve learned the previous week. I try to answer common questions or share an important message that will help you in your career and business. This week, I was inspired by a few separate quotes. I am going to share these pockets of inspiration with you, and why they inspired me. I hope they inspire you as well!

Pockets of Inspiration

Inspiration can come from anywhere, and this week it seemed to come from everywhere. Inspiration is important because it is the root of motivation. Motivation is what gets you through the day, and inspiration is what achieves goals. I have four quotes that I came across this week, that provided immediate inspiration for me. My hope is when you read them, they’ll trigger some inspiration for you as well.

You Can Do It!

“If you can imagine it, you can design it. If you can design ,it you can build it.”

My son will be entering middle school next year, so my wife and I were exploring middle school options. We visited a local charter school where they displayed a banner with the above quote. Unfortunately, credit for the quote wasn’t given. I thought this was an important message though, not just for our youth but for everyone. Many adults can imagine the life they want. They can imagine a dream lifestyle, career or business. The MegaMillions Lotto just reached $1.6 Billion last week and I heard many people imagining what they’d do with that kind of money.

Many people do not believe they can design and build the career or business they want. They think they have to be lucky, or success is reserved for the few. But just as there is a scientific process for designing and building something, there is a process for creating a successful business, or a successful career. To design and build your business and career will take hard work, education, sacrifice and at times failures. I can tell you though that it is all worth it when you finally create the business and career you imagine!

Hustle

“Things may come to those who wait, but only those things that are left by those who hustle.” – Abraham Lincoln

In other words, go get it! I don’t think President Lincoln was discounting the need for patience as much as he was warning against the dangers of procrastination. Napoleon Hill wrote about the dangers of procrastination in his bestselling book Think and Grow Rich. In fact, most of the books I’ve studied on success will tell you that you need to have a relentless pursuit of your goal so you can finally achieve it. Hustle requires dedication, perseverance, and motivation. It is much easier to settle for the status quo and put things off until tomorrow.

I coach my kids in sports and one of the rules I tell them for winning is to hustle, give 100% all day every day! I have met with many people that either want to advance their career or start a business. One major thing holding them back is the time it’ll take to learn a new skill or achieve a certification. Let’s take for example a woman that wants to achieve an executive position at her company. She may decide that getting an MBA would help her achieve that goal. But getting an MBA takes time and effort. She may decide it’s too much work. With the new job, and the kids, how is she going to find time? So, she procrastinates. Eventually three, four, five years go by, and still no MBA. With a little hustle she could have had her MBA. I mean the time is going to go by anyway, why not take advantage of it?

Feel It

“If people don’t feel it, they won’t do it.”  – Jack Stack

This comes from an awesome book, The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack. In this book, the author talks about the importance of getting employees excited about their work, and goal achieving. He talks about all kinds of incentives they put in place to help foster this excitement, but he also knows that when people aren’t excited, they typically don’t work as hard.

In my consulting work, I often ask clients what they want to accomplish. Surprisingly, that is often that people just don’t know. I guess as be become adults we stop imagining what it is we want and start accepting what we have. Or we think we’re supposed to want something so we pretend we do. One of my clients recently came to this realization. I had her doing an exercise where she was coming up with a list of things she wanted to accomplish. Then, she was to concentrate on each thing and imagine what it’d be like when you accomplished it. She wrote down things on the list she thought she wanted. A lot of these things were the stuff successful people are supposed to have. She soon realized there were some items she couldn’t get excited about. We immediately took that off the list. We needed her to focus on what she did want, and what made her excited. After that her business started to skyrocket!

Go Big

“I won’t be a rock star. I’ll be a legend.” – Freddie Mercury

In what universe is being a rock star not good enough? That was my first reaction when I saw this quote. Apparently in Freddie Mercury’s universe, it wasn’t enough! I’d say that the lead singer of Queen became a legend.

It doesn’t matter what line of work you are in, there is no inspiration in settling for second place. Nobody goes to the Olympics dreaming of brining home a silver medal. There isn’t football player out there that dreams of getting drafted to a mediocre team. And, the very best in any profession don’t dream of winning their equivalent of a Superbowl, they dream of dynasties and legacies. Michael Phelps didn’t dream of winning a gold medal, he dreamed of winning the most gold medals. Lesson learned here, dream as far as your imagination will take you, then take one more step!

This Week’s Challenge

This week’s challenge to find something that inspires you. Use your imagination, set that goal and hustle until you accomplish it. When you do you’ll find more meaning in your work and your life!

If you would like to discuss more ways to help your business grow or if you feel you have a specific problem that needs to be addressed, please reach out to me.