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Archive for Leadership

Best Business Practice Guide

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 10/20/2020

Do you run your business using best business practices? You probably have a feel for some best business practices if you have been in business for a while. But chances are you are paying attention to some areas more than others.

Over the years that I have worked with small to medium sized businesses to help them grow, not just in terms of top line and bottom line revenue, but also in terms of running a more professional business, I’ve developed some guidelines in several key areas for what I call an “On Target Business”.

Characteristics of “On Target” business owners: They spend time working ON the business, not just IN the business. In other words, they spend time in strategic planning and implementation on a regular basis. They are leaders who have a vision for themselves and for their business over the short and long term. They are known for their integrity in dealing with customers, employees and business partners. They are accountable to their own goals and to what they’ve agreed to do for their company. They apply best business practices. They are growing personally and professionally. They are committed to excellence in the products or services they provide. Finally, they have an extensive network of business contacts, referral partners and advisors.

I’ve identified 5 key areas for business owners to focus on in growing a more professional and sustainable business: Leadership, Finance, Administration, Marketing & Sales and Innovation. For each of these, I’ve included statements that indicate best practice activities and results in each area.

If you’d like to receive my full 5 page Best Business Practices Guide entitled “Put Your Business On Target for Success”, just click here.

Categories : Business Strategy
Tags : Best Business Practices, Business Planning, Business Strategy, Key Performance Indicators, KPIs, Leadership

Are You Working Below Your Paygrade? – Webinar

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 10/02/2019

I bet you are, and it’s not good for you or your business!

Many entrepreneurs (including me) find themselves at least occasionally, but sometimes all too often “using dollar time to do nickel work”. This is not a new concept, but a while back in my work as a business coach and TAB Facilitator, I came across a chapter in a book called Timeless Principles of Exceptional Businesses* that spoke to me, and I’d like to share what I’ve learned with you.

As business owners, we can get bogged down by wearing so many hats in our business that we find ourselves spending our days in reactive mode, at the mercy of the urgent rather than the strategic. We may even find ourselves being a highly paid “go-fer”.
In this potentially life changing webinar, you’ll learn:
• What your time is worth to your company
• What are your most valuable activities?
• What you should NOT be doing
• Prioritizing your key activities

I hope you’ll join me. Your business will thank you!

Thursday, October 10, 2019
1:00 PM PT (2:00 PM MT, 3:00 PM CT, 4:00 PM ET)
45 minutes plus Q &A

Register for Free Webinar

*Timeless Principles for Exceptional Businesses: Shared Wisdom from 25 Years of TAB, Chapter 8

Categories : Events
Tags : Delegating, Leadership, Productivity, Time Management

Lead and Appreciate

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 05/18/2011

Your employees depend on your leadership to guide them, inspire them and make them feel that their contributions are of value.  It’s even more critical when you are asking your people to take a risk and join you in your newest business initiative before you have time to prove that it will be a success or in some cases, pay them what they are worth.

Take the time to share your vision for your company and your goals for current projects or strategic initiatives.  Thank them for their contributions and help them see their part in what you are working to accomplish together.

This month, make a point to share one small thing that you want to do better as a company, and then notice and acknowledge at least one team member every day for something that they are doing that demonstrates their contribution.  Some days you may have to look hard to find something, but I’m guessing that if you are looking for and acknowledging the positive things you find more of them to appreciate!

Categories : Uncategorized
Tags : Leadership

The Next Great Wave Of Innovation – Succeeding Through Turmoil

Posted by Linnea Blair on
 09/15/2010

How do you see change – as an opportunity or a threat?
Linnea Blair
Our industries, our society and even our world are in a state of flux as we struggle to come to terms with turbulent economies, dwindling resources and a changing climate. In The Sixth Wave, a book on business and innovation, authors Moody and Nogrady predict that we are on the cusp of the next great wave of change for the future. They also demonstrate that periods of change in history have always been the time when the greatest opportunities exist for the introduction of new technologies, new products and services, and for inspired ideas about whole new ways of doing things.

If you see change as a threat, you’re taking a “glass-half empty” perspective. You probably say, “I can’t keep up with this constant technological innovation. There’s something new to learn every week. It’s like I never left school!” You’ll be annoyed whenever there’s a new trend in management. You’ll wince whenever you hear of competitors introducing new business processes. You’ll see change as the slings and arrows of business misfortune.

On the other hand, if you see change as an opportunity, you’re taking a “glass-half full” perspective. You are likely to think, “Every time there’s a change, new niches open up for me.” You know that some of your competitors will be slow to adapt and you’ll be the first to step in and relieve them of a few customers. You’ll say to yourself, “I’m a small business. I have a small, flexible and effective team. Adaptability is our mantra. We’re the can-do people!”

While your larger competitors need to look ahead a year or more, you’ll change focus much more quickly. If you’re a manufacturer, you have smaller production runs, so you can customize to suit the needs of particular customers. Customers can reach you much more easily than they can a CEO of a large corporation – you’re responsive.
Read More→

Categories : Business Strategy
Tags : Business Strategy, Leadership, SWOT Analysis

Your Empathy-Intuition Advisor

Posted by Cynthia Kyriazis on
 09/24/2008

Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. It’s about being able to see someone else’s world through your own eyes and identify with the other person’s emotions such as joy, pain, concern and frustration. This is generally based on a similar experience you have experienced in your own life.

Intuition is based on the observations of others you have stored in your subconscious over time. It works well with Empathy and can provide balanced advice about communicating with others– both at work and at home. When this Advisor is in balance, communications run smoothly. When it’s unbalanced, it can hurt or damage relationships.

Dr. Robert Harman was a social scientist who created the mathematical calculation that underlies 6 Advisors. He discovered that a person holds back a reserve of cooperation and productivity by an average of 40%. In other words, you can gain 40% more cooperation and 40% more productivity by actually listening to the person, rather than the chatter in your head.

If you are talking to a prospect, client, employee or family member, are you listening to your internal dialogue? Is it about you or are you hearing them? Are you open and accepting of their situation without judgment? Do you trust the accuracy of you intuition? Read More→

Categories : 6 Advisors, Personal Growth
Tags : 6 Advisors, Leadership, Personal Growth

Introducing Your Advisors

Posted by Cynthia Kyriazis on
 07/30/2008

Consider this. Each of us has somewhere between 12,000 to 50,000 thoughts a day. More than you thought, huh? Some of them help you get what you want and some get in the way of what you want or what you are shooting for. And these results all began with just one thought.

If you attended the Advisors On Target June 26 webinar, you know that I talked about the results of a study I did assessing how successful painting contractors think. What makes them different? How are they so successful? I used the 6 Advisors™ assessment program as the tool for my findings.

6 Advisors is an online assessment program that measures the type of advice you give yourself and the degree of this advice. We each give ourselves advice in 6 different yet distinct arenas. These 6 categories include thoughts relating to:

1. Others
2. Yourself
3. Getting things done
4. The way in which you spend your time
5. Ideas, concepts and discipline
6. Turning dreams into reality and motivation

Your thoughts impact the money you make, the debt you may have, the passion you may or may not have, your energy level, your stress level, your relationships, and your self esteem to name a few.

We all give ourselves plenty of balanced advice and this has helped shape many of our outcomes over the years. But advice we give ourselves that is unbalanced usually ends up resulting in outcomes that may be filled with minefields. The objective is to try and recognize when advisors are out of balance and shift course to achieve better results.

But this advice and internal dialog we all have has probably been around for a long time, so shifting thoughts and making a change will take some focus and diligence.

But change is good! It can mean improving your ability to manage your emotions, choices and actions so you end up with better results and a richer life.

Join me for my next article on the Empathy-Intuition advisor which focuses on the advice we give ourselves about others.

copyright 2008 Cynthia Kyriazis and Six Advisors, Inc.

Categories : 6 Advisors, Personal Growth
Tags : 6 Advisors, Leadership, Personal Growth

June is “Effective Communications” Month

Posted by Cynthia Kyriazis on
 06/01/2008

Graduations, weddings and vacations are usually associated with June. But it’s also the time of year when painting contractors are as busy as ever. Learning to delegate involves being a very effective communicator in order to develop the employee without frustrating them or yourself, while still getting the results you want.

Here are your productivity tips for this month:

1. Learn to delegate. This is a key time management principle. If you have been reluctant to do so, consider that this is the one way to leverage your time. So go on, learn the basics, find the right person and go for it.

2. Guidelines for giving the assignment. Share with the employee the details of what you need done in an organized way. Remember-they may be watching you as a role model. Once you have reviewed what you need done and the timelines involved, have them repeat back to you what they heard. It helps clarify before any is wasted working on the wrong thing or in the wrong order or at the wrong time.

3. Remember to delegate, not micro-manage. You probably learned by making mistakes – so will the employee. It’s part of being human. But you can minimize the mistakes by periodic check-ins, remaining open to questions and communicating effectively.

Categories : Productivity Tips
Tags : Communication, Leadership, Productivity
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