Posted by: craigj under Uncategorized
How does coaching contribute to the success of a small business? My clients use me lots of different ways. These are three.
- Binocular vision – one eye perceives flatness, 2 eyes perspective. Particularly where one “eye” has seen it before.
- Accountability – when you and I first set out on our own, we resolved never again to report to ‘the man.” We were going to be the man! And now we have earned the right to procrastinate. Not good. Hire someone to have dreams with, make promises to, negotiate with them their right to bust your chops.
- Cheerleader and inspiration – could you use a word of honest encouragement now and again? What kind of difference would that make for you?
I’m Craig Jennings, a small business coach. I have about 25 clients I’m working with every month. Most of them are really kicking butt – the recession is real, but entrepreneurship is a winning process. And coaching really makes a difference. I have room for about 5 more clients. If you’d like to have a discussion with me, I don’t want to sell you. (You do get to buy if you want to.) 516 944-6454. Craig@craigjennings.com.
My new book
Posted by: craigj under Uncategorized
Author of the forthcoming book
“Driving with the handbrake onâ€Â a treatise on coaching small business owners/entrepreneurs in developing their businesses and getting past their “stucknesses.â€
Dealing with the new economy
Posted by: craigj under Uncategorized
In a cocktail party yesterday, a man complained – “I’m going to change my career – I’ve been a financial advisor for 10 years and they’ve changed the bonuses in the program (he last worked for AIG!) so I refuse to work for less money.” Change of direction can be a good idea, but somehow, I heard him positioning himself as a victim.
If you are positioning yourself as a victim, or think you might be, that’s a recipe for your own disaster. Have a conversation with me or someone you trust – the only success you can have as a victim is to increase the amount of self-pity you accord yourself. Not productive!
And you might have a look at this no-nonsense quote from Robert Kiyosaki:
“Today, people are asking, ‘Is the crisis over? Is the economy coming back?’ My reply is, ‘No, the economy is not coming back. The economy has moved on, and the people asking if it’s coming back are being left behind.’”
Another quotation (this time from me!) “If you go with the flow you’re likely to go down the drain!”
At times like this, consider:
1. The old ways probably aren’t working
2. Opportunities abound, but they are likely to be dressed in coveralls and look very much like work!
3. If you have a 9-5 job, you’re at the mercy of the market forces. Maybe the people you’re working for will be smart and brave, or maybe they won’t.
4. If you’re an entrepreneur, you already know how to start something new and different. You may be reluctant to do it again now, but you know you can.
5. It may be time for re-vision. That’s not “revision” - to modify what we already have, but re-vision, to take a fresh look, see what’s changed, create a new plan.
6. Coaching- it takes two eyes to see perspective – which may be entirely appropriate in this situation! I offer my viewpoint in two different formulations. Explore the possibilities in a no-cost conversation about your business. Call 516 944-6454, email craig@craigjennings.com.
Driving with the handbrake on!
Posted by: craigj under Uncategorized
We’ve spoken about CEO time – how to get it. Now, let’s explore how to use it.
The subtitle for this exercise is “THE TYRANNY OF THE URGENT.”
Suppose, just suppose, you’re not totally busy, all day and at all hours. Suppose you get a dozen things done, have time to catch your breath, and think about how to advance your business. You’re looking at task priorities – in four classifications: Urgent And Important, Urgent And Not Important, Neither Urgent Nor Important, and Important But Not Urgent.
The last one is particularly interesting. The IBNU, Important But Not Urgent, presents itself to us quietly, doesn’t make a lot of fuss, represents a lot of potential income or profit, and goes away as quietly as it came. BTW, this whole concept was invented, or discovered, by Dr. Covey, of “7 Habits of Effective People” fame
So, if you had a little discretionary time, some CEO time, and you divided your remaining tasks into the 4 groups below, which order do you think you’d tackle them in?
Can you guess what the numbers are for: ? !!!
Covey’s explanation: If it’s urgent and important, that’s a no-brainer. But, Not Important is less consequential, perhaps less confronting than Important, so we do the easy stuff, numbers 2 and 3 next, save number 4 for last!
In response to this wisdom, a good friend, Mark Rickard, who runs a list marketing organization, and is concerned about how he spends his time, has customized his desk blotter. He’s divided it into a huge grid of 4 squares. And, as work comes in, he piles each up on the appropriate square. He swears that, this way, he tackles the IBNU’s more often.
Clearly you’re using your time better if you tackle your IBNU’s before you do things which are neither important or urgent.
However you work, have a look at what you’re doing, and what you’re deferring.
Best, cj
Driving With The Handbrake On
Posted by: craigj under Uncategorized
Entrepreneur’s Disease – Symptoms & Cures
Check-List: More than three, call the Doctor!
- I am impatient with others at least several times a week.
- I wake up at 3am to have enough time to worry about revenue.
- I have business debt which exceeds 20% of my annual revenues.
- My spouse (or employees) just don’t understand how big a job this is.
- I’m working twice as hard, making half as much.
- If I wasn’t here, this place would close in a month.
- I can’t seem to attract - or keep - the right staff.
- I’m doing tasks I don’t like and am not very good at.
- I am working more than 10 hours a day.
- The people I hire come late, leave early, and do drugs at lunch.
7 Mistakes that can hurt your business
1. Not having a vision, either for your business or yourself
2. Lack of financial management
3. Putting up with mediocrity.
4. Failing to see DELEGATION as a critical element of successful leadership
5. Failing to allocate TIME for yourself and your family, so that you can have a life beyond your business.
6. Not having a SUCCESSION PLAN or EXIT STRATEGY – and not knowing the difference.
7. Assuming that because you are good at some skill or trade, you’re automatically qualified to run a business.
Are You Ready To Kick Some Bad Business Habits?
1. You’re working too many hours: are you ready to work a whole lot less?
2. You’re ready to make a lot more profit. It’s not enough to love your business. You need to balance risk and reward.
3. You’re ready to build a team to help your business go forward, whether you’re there or not.
4. You need to fall in love with your business again - to rebuild the vision and passion you started with.
5. Your business can’t grow unless you grow. If you want what you haven’t got, you have to do what you don’t do. Get growing!
6. You need an accountability partner, someone to demand a profit, to push you past your stops, and to congratulate you on your successes.
7. You can use a coach, someone who’ll help you get where you always knew you could go.
On the next page – Two Entrepreneurs each work 10 hours a day, with totally different results!
One spends: 1 hour on “CEO Time (planning, thinking ahead, etc.)”
4 hours on Managing – telling others what to do.
5 hours on Employee work – doin’ it, doin’ it, doin’ it.”
Is this pretty normal?
The other does the reverse.
Which one are you?
How CEO’s use their time each day!
CEO 1
| % Time | Day Hours | $/hr. | Delivered Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEO work | 10% | 1 | 300 | 300 |
| Manager work | 40% | 4 | 50 | 200 |
| Employee work | 50% | 5 | 15 | 75 |
| Total | 100% | 10 | 575 |
CEO 2
| % Time | Day Hours | $/hr. | Delivered Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CEO work | 50% | 5 | 300 | 1500 |
| Manager work | 40% | 4 | 50 | 200 |
| Employee work | 10% | 1 | 15 | 15 |
| Total | 100% | 10 | 1715 |
Annual Summary
CEO #1 = $172,500
CEO #2 = $514,500
Most all of us fail to delegate – and who will quarrel with us? Well, I will!
The fundamental cause of small business failure is not because the owner/CEO doesn’t do enough, but because he/she does too much of the wrong thing.
In our next installment, the “vision thing.”
Driving with the Handbrake on - a series of conversations with entrepreneurs
Posted by: craigj under Uncategorized
by Craig Jennings, Business Coach
The Texas Smoothie.
Jerry from Texas was a member of my Mastermind group. He was an internet wizard, self-employed, and described himself as “busier than a cat in a sandbox.” (Colorful Texas aphorism.)
It seemed he wasn’t getting as much accomplished as he wanted to, despite a heroic work ethic.
I asked him how much time he spent as a CEO, as A Manager, and as the Chief Employee, and he responded 10%, 40% and 50%. (I privately thought the CEO time might be close to zero.)
So we had a look at his day. Jerry arose early, hit the john, and then put 30 minutes on the treadmill. Then the kitchen, where he made Smoothies, one for him and one for his wife, who was now waking up. Then he took his Smoothie into his office, opened up his laptop, and dove in! And he was knee-deep in urgent, trivial detail from there on in.
What I hoped was to find a small but regular place in his routine for big, structural thinking, what to do next month or next year as opposed to the next minute.
My suggestion was that he turn off his computer at night, reboot it in the AM, and have a CEO moment while it booted up. If his computer was as slow as mine, that would get us 5-10 minutes of CEO time.
“NO!” Jerry was horrified. “I can’t let my computer go off-line even overnight. There’s no telling what might happen, or not happen.”
We negotiated, and here’ s what came out. When he walked into his office with the Smoothie, he would place it on the lid of the closed laptop. He would put his feet up on the desk, and while he slowly consumed the Smoothie, he’d have some leisurely CEO-time. The laptop stayed closed, and CEO time existed as long as there was some Smoothie left.
Read his testimonial. “This Mastermind group is all about accountability. Not only did we focus on action, every member of the group held each other accountable. I took action on my goals partly because I wanted to, but mostly because I owed it to my group to keep my word and be in action toward my goals.”
“The actions I chose to take were a result of a really creative conversation with Craig. The result was that I re-prioritized how my time should be spent, and that I had to allocate time every day for CEO activities. This “CEO Time” resulted in many changes in how my company runs today. The greatest advantage of “CEO Time” is that it keeps me focused on what matters most. The specifics are too many to list. My favorite thing in the world is now my “CEO Time!” This [program] helped me conquer something I’ve been procrastinating for years!”
Jerry has cleverly tricked his procrastination demon – now he gets his CEO Time with a Smoothie, before the demon is even up and around!
Next session: How to Value CEO time – especially your own.
Scamming The Coach
Posted by: craigj under Uncategorized
If you were going to SCAM a coach, consider that you want to take advantage of his ambition, his vanity and perhaps his greed.
You want to appear generous, and give him an opportunity to reciprocate.
You would invest some time in this, so you could set up a good take.
And that’s just exactly what Peter Kline did.
He failed to rip us off for over $25,000 only because my wife fought me tooth and nail and a banker smelt a rat and made some very determined phone calls!
Could it happen to you. Not, I hope, if you read this.
Following are some of the emails we exchanged. There were at least two every day. See how quickly you can pick up the scam. I know you’ll be quicker than I was!
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The scam started with a message from Mr. Peter Kline.“From: Peter Kline 527 Lea Bridge Road, London E10 6AJJan. 18, 2008?Tel: + 447031922882 I am Mr Peter Kline, I worked with Human Edge and our service is consultacy and management training etc. We got an approval from one of our client that we should make an arrangement for executive coaching for her senior staff on leadership skills and be able to lead their direct subordinate more effectively.?. ?We need to engage you or your establishment for the coaching of this personal in USA since that is the venue for the coaching and note that we got your contact and company data from international coach federation database which we were made to understand that all the members of the above federation are reliable and professional in their different choosen area of specialization .?So you need to furnish us the cost of coaching two personel and coaching is for one week . Payment will be make to you before commencement of the coaching and the personal will travel down to meet you in canada for the coaching as soon as all arrangement is concluded. Kindly acknowledge the receipt of this mail as an indication that you receive the message via this email address or ?peterklineuk@yahoo.com Yours Faithfully, Peter Kline,?General Manager.?HRDC” I noticed that his English wasn’t so good, and in his subsequent phone call, he was hard to understand over the phone - but I couldn’t place the accent. I wasn’t so sure that his coments about the reliablity and professionality of ICF graduates were universally accurate, but I was willing to accept the benefit, particularly since I’d matriculated with Coachville!I decided that this was an opportunity to expand my practice - particularly if I could figure out what he meant by leadership training. And I figured I could get some help on this from Jonathan Flaks, who was, by chance, an upcoming speaker at the NYC Midtown Coaching Center. So I replied: 1-18-2008“Mr. Kline,?Thank you for your inquiry. If I understand correctly, you’re looking for me to coach two people on business leadership in the space of 1 week. ?They needn’t travel to Canada since I work in New York. And I’m entirely willing to travel to meet with them. My fees are $250 per hour or $1250 per day, travel and lodging expenses extra. Please let me know if you require further information. Best, Craig Jennings 516 944-6454″ “Dear Craig Jennings,?Thanks for acknowledging the receipt of my mail and the two participate for the training are coming from United Kingdom because that is where they are working in the head office of my client which the branch office is in canda that is the reason my client wanted he choosen canada for the venue of the training just for the client to be expose to other enviroment and concentrate on one week coaching .?So if you are willing to travel down to canada for the training of the participate that is also a good option but i can convince my client to shift the venue to NEW YORK so that your travel and lodging expenses can be waive out so that the participate can meet you in NEW YORK .?So I would like to know the total cost of training the two participate in New York for one week and one hour per a day so that because the training suppose to commence the first week of Feb or last week of this month all depending how soon the arrangement is concluded .You can call me on phone any time on this number: 447031922882 and I need to conclude with you as soon as possible to enable the commencement of the training . Do acknowledge the receipt of this mail as an indication that you receive the message. Regards ‘Peter Kline ” I wondered what kind of an englishman thought that someone from New York would have to travel “down” to Canada. That could have put New York somewhere north of Greenland. But I decided to refrain from giving him a lesson in geography. Later on, I’d discover who was giving a lesson to whom. “Dear Peter Kline.?I think I understand what you want.Better yet, I think I can provide it. I’ll call you in a few minutes to explore some of the details. But please find here my quotation: 1. Training in NYC, $2500 for 5 days, two people. 2. Rental of classroom, 5 days, 9-11am plus, Feb. 4-8 $425
Best, Craig Jennings” From: peter kline [mailto:peterklineuk@yahoo.com] ?Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 12:23 PM?To: Craig Jennings?Subject: today I got your quotaion and I need your contact information and your phone number that i can reach you easily as well because i just spoke with my client and he accepted the quotation , I need to get your address from you immediately because he told me that if i can forward it to him today,he will instruct his customer to issue a a check in your favor that will be forwarded to you to you to enable to cash it before the commencement of the coaching . Reply as soon as you receive this mail so that we can conclude the arrangement for the payment imemdialtely. Regards Peter As you might guess, I responded with my address immediately.?It was Friday January 18th. It would be February the 4th before the check showed up. |
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“Dear Craig Jennings,I have forwarded the address to my client and i asked my client that he should inform his customer to increase the amount of the check , so that it can accomodate the hotel accomodation of the participate and travelling expenses of the participate which he accepted So please as soon as you receive the check and cash it, you have to do me a favor by deducting coaching fees from the amount and you will send the remaining balance to the agent that will be in charge of booking for the accomodation of the participate and the travel . I will give you the information that you will use to send the money to avoid delay . I hope the check will be mail to you hopefully by monday according to my client and i will keep you posted . Regards Peter ” I didn’t want more than I’d quoted (perhaps my saving grace) and I didn’t want to become the travel agent for a couple of Limeys on a one-week all-expenses-paid junket to New York. I framed a strong disagreement, and then compromised with the following suggestion: “Peter -Do you really want us involved in your accounting? I appreciate your trust in us, but I’d suggest that separate checks are in order here. CJ” At this point, we exchange daily emails for 10 days, Peter assuring me that the check should arrive momentarily, me asking him to provide an alternative method of payment.I am also concerned that the lateness of his check will force me to delay his training, and possibly risk cancellation. As you will see, both alternative means of payment and cancellation are the furthest things from Peter’s mind. “From: peter kline [mailto:peterklineuk@yahoo.com] ?Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2008 10:44 AM?To: Craig Jennings?Subject: optionDear Craig Jennings, I received your mail and you might receive the check today or hopefully by tomorrow and if you did not receive it within this period, the option of wiring it to your account or transfering it to your card will be the next option in order to meet up with the commencement date Have a blissful day Regards Peter” Blissful!!! I’m hanging by my thumbs, my wife is totally skeptical, and he wants me to be blissful!“Dear Peter Kline, Thanks for your note below. Check still unreceived, Tuesday mail. Suggestions: 1. Wire transfer - Bank of America - NY Client Swift Code: XXXXXXXXX Routing Number: XXXXXXXX Checking: XXXXXXXXXXX 2. Credit card transfer. AMEX, VISA, MASTERCARD, DISCOVER Provide card name, card number, name of owner, expiration date, security code (reverse side). 3. Reschedule training to week of February 18-22. (We’ll have undetermined obligation for classroom re-rental.) Best,?Craig Jennings” “From:peter kline [mailto:peterklineuk@yahoo.com] ?Sent: Monday, January 28, 2008 5:25 AM?To: Craig Jennings?Subject: update Dear Craig Jennings I leant that you will receive the check unfailingly this week . Keep me posted as soon as you receive the check . Regards?Peter Kline” More exchanges, and phone calls. Both his emails and phone conversations are hard to understand. I decide to get a little crisper with him. “January 29, 2008Dear Peter Kline, Thank you for your note below. We agree that the training cannot tale place as originally scheduled. The reason: the promise of payment was not fulfilled. Your client says she would like to resume on the 11th. You have several emails from me offering a start on the 18th. Did your client have this information? I have commitments on the week of the 11th that do not permit me to run his training class. Please advise if the start date of February 18 is agreeable. Also, please advise whether your client is agreeable to one of the two payment alternatives I have offered. Has he seen this information? For the record, In the event that your client agrees to a credit card or wire transfer method of payment, I agree to return his check whenever it may arrive. For the record, can you advise when it was actually sent? Please confirm your client’s decisions. 1. Agreement on starting 18 February 2. Agreement to using wire transfer or credit card for payment. Best, Craig Jennings” On Feb. 4 the check arrives, made out to my company for over $26,000. I rejoice, deposit it over my wife’s protests. I send Peter this message. “Peter -I’m pleased we have achieved payment. I will deposit it to my account. I will send the balance to your agent, and he can disburse appropriate funds to support your trainees in their visit to New York.
Please advise Agent name, address, phone, etc. so I may get the balance to him. Best, CJ I’m sure, dear reader, that both you and Peter are now smiling. This is exactly the response he wants. “Dear Peter Kline,Thanks for the instructions. Bank will take a while to clear the check. They’ll let me know today - I’ll advise you immediately. BTW, their first advice was that it will take 4-8 weeks to clear! We are pressing them for a more definitive response. Best, CJ At this point, Annie’s train leaves the track! I’m upset because it will take his check a long time to clear, postponing if not ending the job, and Annie’s terrified that it’s a bad check and we’ll be out of pocket the reimbursement.Our bank, a big one, is totally useless. Annie speaks with them, they just wag their heads and say it’ll take a long time to clear. Finally, I call June Alleyne, the Manager of State Bank in Port Washington. Her comment jolts me: “Craig, I think this might be a scam. It’s happened before with commerce between England and Canada, and sometimes Nigeria. Please fax me the check and let me make some phone calls.” I ask mysefl: Could Peter’s accesnt have been Nigerian? Is that why he had some difficulty both speaking and writing english? Ten minutes later, June calls back. The Canadian banks won’t give her any informaton (privacy, don’t ya know) so she’s moved on to the company issuing the check and spoken to the Comptroller. Comptroller’s response “Oh No, not again!” He has no connection with Peter’s firm, or interest in Leadership Training. But someone on the inside has been lifting check numbers and forms, and tweaking them to their own purposes. Annie quickly gets into action. We ask our bank to freeze the account and tell them why.
In the next day, we will switch all our accounts to the State Bank where June Alleyne is the manager.
I write back to Peter: “Feb. 5, 2005Dear Peter. Not good news. The check I deposited yesterday is bogus. The company it was written on will not honor it - apparently the account numbers were stolen. My banker believes this is a scam and has advised me not to absorb any expense whatsoever. If you actually have a training requirement that you would like to fund, please provide one of the following: A Certified Check, A Wire Transfer, or a Credit Card Number. Otherwise, thank you for the education. Best, Craig Jennings ” I still can’t believe this same-day response from Peter! “Craig Jennings, Thanks for the update of the check and i have forwarded your complian to my client which he was dumb-founded that i could his customer do such a thing and i have made it clear to her that i believe that good name is better than silver and gold and that no any other form of payment will be accepted except wire transfer , a certified check or credit your card otherwise the contract is as good as being cancelled which he promised to get back to me and she was saying that if you have the copy of the check you can send it to me through email attachment to enable her to have a serious battle with the customer . Friend, you have been a good person and i know with or without the coaching , our good relationship would not stop to exist and if i have any good business venture you will always be in my mind , i always appreciate your level of communication that is the reason i can trust and believe in you and i will be proud to recommend you to anyone for business because you are sincere Regards Peter” Yep, I’m absolutely sure Peter will keep me in mind if he has any new business ventures! And I’ll remember to weigh my wife’s skepticism more carefully in the future - but for her and for June we could easily have gotten caught for $25,000! Dear Reader - I hope this long note was worth reading through. In subsequent months, I’ll be mailing you some less dramatic concepts on managing as entrepreneurs - they include self-disovery, vision, and action. |
Craig Jennings
Testimonials
Posted by: craigj under Uncategorized
Is there anyone who can speak for you or your business better than you can yourself? Yes there is – your customer.
Consider that your customer knows what you do, and has had a pretty full experience of the benefits. He knows what you do, and how it impacts him. If it’s a testimonial, he likes it a lot. Also, in offering a testimonial, she has no motive for business gain. She’s just telling it “as it is.” And those who read what she has written get a very clear picture of what your business can produce. Without your interpretation or intervention.
So why is it that 95% of small business owners don’t seek or solicit testimonials?
Would you guess: FEAR!
1. We’re not sure how our client will respond.
2. We’re afraid of what we might find out.
3. We don’t know how to solicit testimonials.
So we don’t solicit testimonials. So what?
Consider the possibility that your competition doesn’t seek or solicit testimonials either! This, despite the fact that testimonials may include the most powerful value statements you could possibly offer to a potential customer. Are you passing up a big advantage? Recently, Kathy Gulrich spoke at a coaching information business I run, the NYC Midtown Coaching Center, on the book she’d written. It’s called Build Your Business With Testimonials: Ten Steps to More Clients, More Customers, More Sales. You can buy it from Kathy’s website, and you should! (Click here). I’m not going to reprise her small but effective book. I am going to challenge you to take her Testimonial Snapshot (Click here). See what you know, and what you can learn. Now, let’s suppose that you’re ready to get started. You need a procedural structure. How about an email inquiry with telephone follow-up – would that be an acceptable process for getting a vote of thanks from a customer?
Sneak a peek.
This document comes from the Famous Fabienne Fredrickson, a superb coach of coaches who, a long time ago, coached me on this topic. Visit her at www.clientattraction.com but for now, sneak a peek and her Testimonial Form and Click here.
Now you know what you know and need to learn.
Now you know how to go about it.
The Word-Of-Mouth (where else would it come from, the elbow?)
Many of us wait for “word of mouth” to bestow its blessings upon us. “Word of mouth” is an unsolicited comment from someone who knows us to someone we don’t know which ultimately results in new business for us. Does “word of mouth” sound unlikely?
It does happen. But you have no control over it! It’s not something you can invest in, like an advertising campaign. It’s not even something you can provoke. It’s just something you sit around and wait for. It reminds me of Blanche Dubois’ lament “I’ve always relied on the kindness of strangers!” Not a good way to build relationships, or a business either.
Getting In Action.
Instead, get in action. Get to the people you think approve of your business. Ask them to respond to you. If they don’t respond right away, call them and go over Fabienne’s process. Might you be amazed at how willing your good customers are to help you?
And get those testimonials on your website where they can be seen. One more story about Kathy Gulrich – who helped me “testimonialize” my website. When she asked me how I managed testimonials, I responded (smugly) “very well!” I’d been using Fabienne’s model very successfully, and I’d put all the testimonials in a section cleverly marked “Testimonials.”. Then Kathy asked me: Did I have a traffic measurement on my site. “Yep.” Would I look at it and see what kind of traffic my testimonials got? Oooops! About 1-2%. I’d carefully hidden them on my website, where 98-99% of my visitors would miss them. What to do?
Kathy advised: “Use them to prove the points you want your website to make. Put them out where your visitors will trip over them!” I did, and, since then, almost every new client coming from my website has commented on the testimonials. Have a look! Click Here!
I believe that testimonials are an extraordinary resource available to all of us who have customers. You can learn some remarkable things from your customers. Testimonials are free, they’re powerful, and they’re forever – once your customer has put some kind words in writing and you have permission to use this material, you can use it as long as you please, Try it, and let me know how it works for you. Hey, you might even give me a testimonial.
Craig Jennings
Aided Accountability!
Posted by: craigj under Uncategorized
There is no success without accountability. But if you’d rather have people accountable to you than be accountable to them, this newsletter may be for you.
There are at least three kinds of accountability: them to you, you to you, you to us.
Them to you: If you have a printer doing work for you, and getting paid by you, then he or she is probably accountable for delivering the finished product at a specified time. Simple.
You to you. If you do not answer to yourself, you’re unlikely to manage the more complex tasks, assignments, projects, goals of a small business. But it’s difficult for many of us to be as tough or rigorous with ourselves as you would be with the printer if he didn’t deliver on time.
It seems that most entrepreneurs take on their own business and their own sovereignty in order to avoid taking orders from “the man” particularly when “the man” was a jerk. And we acknowledge that we have earned the right to do what we have to do when (and not until) we choose to do it. This includes the right to procrastinate.
On the other hand, when we procrastinate, the business suffers and we suffer. Things don’t get done, opportunities are missed, conflicts go unresolved. And it happens to us all.
Within the world of small business ownership, then, are some dangers we’ve designed into it. We know that if we’re not accountable, we cannot be successful. And we know that, as individuals, we’re dangerous “we don’t always act in our own best interests” we can be sleazy, evasive. (What I mean by “we” here is “me” and “many of my clients.” You can decide about you.)
You to us. I function as an accountability partner to most of my clients. Here’s how it works “it may be something you want. It’s someone to help you keep your focus, keep the successes coming, even when you’re feeling distracted. Your accountability partner just helps you be sure that you don’t blow off the issues which are inconvenient, and important.
I don’t want to suggest that a business coach is a dominatrix for the businessman or businesswoman. Accountability is not a pain-based game with whips and chains. But, from my own experience, I have found is that as a coachee I absolutely need the help of my coach to get all the things done that I want to do. And my clients use me to help them get past the “I dowanna, you can’t make me! “voice of resistance that can imperil the success of a small business. One client suggests that that voice sounds very much like an angry seven-year-old!
Here’s how Aided Accountability works. You promise and publish accomplishments or goals. These can be short (one-week) and long (2 months and 12 months) accomplishments. If you don’t accomplish every promise, we review it jointly to see how we can make it happen soon - next week, next cycle, next year. There isn’t an implication of punishment or wrong-doing here you can be proud to keep the promises you make, and when you neglect them (whatever the reason) you’re more highly motivated to complete them in the next term.
You might see it as ironic that small business ownership includes being accountable to yourself, that being fully accountable is something many of us avoid, and that being accountable to yourself alone is probably one of the most difficult tasks there is. Personally, it’s a place where I welcome help and I pay gladly for that help. The model I propose in the previous paragraph is one that I’ve followed for several years. If you think that you could use some help in your own accountability, I’m good at this, and I’d be happy to discuss it with you.
Call me at 516 944-6454 or email to craig@craigjennings.com.
Turning your do-list into a game.
Posted by: craigj under Uncategorized
A special coaching process provides a new way to motivate yourself.
The purpose of this exercise is to find a new way to motivate the marvelous machine called “you.” I offer it in surprise and delight, after the sometimes balky machine called “me” found himself working far more effectively, and enjoying it hugely.
Call it “Playing to Win!”
While few of us play to lose, it’s amazing how little the concept of winning figures in business or personal conversations.
Most of us prefer winning, although many are concerned that we not win at someone else’s expense. And, if you’re risk-averse, where the idea of losing is really frightening, then going for a win could seem like a pretty dangerous game. The pure entrepreneur expects occasional losing – if you don’t lose any, you’re not taking enough risks. But frequently, both winning and losing are sacrificed before the altar of comfort. And some of us will fudge the win in order to avoid the loss. Would you agree?
Now comes Dave Buck, president of Coachville, who has decided to turn coaching on its ear! His definition is that, if coaching isn’t about winning, it’s not coaching.
And the idea of winning is curiously rewarding. It really talks to me. Here’s an example which has hit me where I live – at the dreaded do-list!
(If you don’t struggle occasionally with your do-list, this email is not for you!) I have long had a theory that the guy with the longest do-list loses! And now and again, I think that could be me. (see below) As employees in business, most of us work our butts off trying to shorten up the list, and then our boss pours some more “do” on us. Or, as entrepreneurs, we set tasks for ourselves and then address them – with elation, with resignation, with a sense of duty, with whatever motivation we’ve been able to generate at the moment. Sometimes we attack with enthusiasm, sometimes with gritted teeth. I won’t say anything at all about procrastination or avoidance.
This is what my do-list usually looks like.
Do-list- Craig Jennings
Week of 2-20-2006
Lift weights
Call Karen Curry re Kleinfelder
Create new schedule for 310
Call Marc Solomon - resked
Complete Mohan’s Team Calls
Find where register business in Manhattan
Michael Ottaviano
Kimberly referral
Kim George flyer
Sussle referral
Appointment with Tiger
Jan Jasper
Check Beth - MDQ
Reinstate Backup, new drive- mitch
Repromise - do’list = put it in time.
Blog research
Call Stacey Morris re Public Speaking
Names and addresses to Study Groups.- Niches, Triads, Proficiencies
Communicate with LA group re: Manhattan recipient of business registration
Create program for Gordon
Discuss proposal w Maryann
Create Newsletter
Naomi at SR
Ed Kleinfeld - schedule appointment
Arber - protest
Arber – solution
More below???
I delete things off the list as they get done. Damn, I sure have a lot to do. Where do I start?
I start by turning it into a game!
Can we entrepreneurs get our butts more quickly and fully in gear if we create a game? Could your employees get into action if there were a scorekeeper, and daily winners? Before we’re done, I’ll show you how I transform this very ugly do-list, but first, what kind of a game do we have in mind?
Coachville uses the pattern language of sports to re-interpret what we often see as drudgery.
1. It’s a game you can play and win, every day.
2. It’s a part of a schedule – a series of games set out before you.
3. Your schedule is part of a season – which ends with a change in focus, and rest.
A human factor, entitled Periodicity, comes in here – and I’ll save it for a later newsletter.
Putting yourself in a game includes challenge, reward, and fun. It models business practice and human practice pretty nicely- you’d rather win than lose, and winning is very nice indeed! Not only that, but losing is permitted, practically essential.
This is really important: If you win the game today, great. If you lose today, no big deal. There’s another game coming tomorrow, and you can play full-out the next time, without shame or guilt or punishment (either self-administered or otherwise.) When each day is a game in itself, there’s little opportunity to spiral down into depression or inaction – to paraphrase blithe Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With The Wind” – Tomorrow Is Another Game!
Most of us enjoy games, particularly if we think we can do well in them. So here’s a game where you set the rules! You define what a “win” looks like. you’d think you could do well if you made the rules? Of course you could. So let’s go for it.
Game-building practice.: First, assign a point score to each of the items you might tackle this week.. Most of them will be worth 1 point. Items that take a lot of work, or items that you’ve put off for a while, might carry extra points – I’ve set a maximum of 5 for myself. Next, set a total number of points to strive for, and declare that a winning game. Then, play to win! Here’s how I structure it for myself.
First, I build a scorecard. (Example below.) I take my “do-list” and cut and paste it into Excel. I put it in the J or 10th column. That leaves me 9 columns to the left of my line-by-line do list.
1. The first column is for titles
2. I label the next 6 leftmost columns Sat/Sun, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday and Friday.
3. I label the 8th column: Points. And I leave a narrow column for execution – when I’m complete on a task, I insert an “x” there.
4. I set the 6 day columns to total at the top using the =sum or ? sign. Now, any time I put a number anywhere in those columns, it adds to my total at the top.
5. I decide that I want 15 points for a win. If I get 15 or more in a given day, I have a Win – under 15 will be a Lose. BTW, if you’re not Excel-friendly and would like a little help with the setup, I’ll be happy to give you a hand – just call.
Here are the top 10 lines on my spreadsheet:
Now you’ve probably noticed that I only lost two games that week. And you probably know who was keeping score! Did I cheat? Was I a little generous with points on Thursday? Maybe, but I got a great deal of work accomplished, and I had a great time doing it! You also might notice that I didn’t complete Mohan’s Team Calls – bottom row. No “x,” no points assigned. So, the following week, I started out by listing all the incomplete tasks, and doubling the points for each of them, including Mohan’s calls.
I invite you to try this game. My experience is that it’s totally positive. I’m setting up my coaching clients with this, one at a time, and using this concept for my speaking gigs as well.
What’s yet to come?
Maybe a weekly game made up out of the totals for each day. I got 109 points that week, thanks to a Kick-Butt game on Monday. Should I set up a monthly game for 400 points?
Or maybe 500 points? How about financial outcomes? Want an income measure to be part of your game – figure how 1-5 points might be awarded if you had sales of $X,000 to $Y,000.
The long-range implications are really outstanding. Whether you’re self-employed or employed by someone else, the do-list is where the drudgery begins. Making a game out of it completely changes the process – it’s light, it’s fun, and you get more done!
If you were a business owner with a bunch of employees, you might want to set up games like this – games for everyone. Would you create the scorecard, or leave that to your employees? (Things to be said for both sides of this practice.) What kind of a scorecard would you set for yourself? Could you set a monthly prize for top score? Could you keep it light and fun?
Imagine how transformational this might be – you and your co-workers or employees competing to get the most done!
Imagine working in a place where everyone is trying to get the most work done they possibly can! And having fun doing it! And acknowledging themselves for being winners!
Should you take this on? Well, the price is right! And the flavor seems really positive. If you do, I’d love to hear the outcome.
I’ll report back to you – in a month or two – whether we can create a new class of player – the corporate athlete. (There’s an article in the Harvard Review by Jim Loehr which pursues this idea.) The corporate athlete leaps tall do-lists in a single bound! Wins a lot, smiles a lot, doesn’t complain about stress or lack of fulfillment. Work is good. Life is good.
Here’s my request of you. If you try this, will you let me know the results you get? Will you tell me how you changed the game to suit your own purposes? If you decide not to continue doing it, will you drop me a note or give me a call, and tell me about that? And, if it gives you a new freedom, and a new way to motivate that marvelous machine called you, I’d really like to hear from you.
Call Craig Jennings, at 516 944-6454 or email to craig@craigjennings.com.
