You may not give it much thought but as a business owner you are a leader. Even if you are the sole employee, you are still a leader for your business. Once you make that realization and step into that leader role, it will help your business move forward.
The theory is simple. Keep your focus on only what you need to do. Help keep your staff (and you) on that focus, and the business will grow. But as many business owners know, SOS (Shiny Object Syndrome) is the easiest way to get side tracked by something that might bring in more income.
As time goes on, it’s easy to get lost along the way. Then things can get blurry and you can’t decide what actually is best for your business. This indecision is not the impression you want to make to those within or to those looking in. Indecision may even come across as being afraid to make a move. Being afraid of progressive steps is also bad for business.
You are an entrepreneur, and as an entrepreneur you are a leader in your industry, just like StomperNet is a leader ours. You must step into being a leader. Fortunately, you can overcome the indecision. It’s a lot like dancing, just two steps. Dr Lisa Lang has written a great article for you today about the two focus steps you need to make as a leader.
Lee Collins
Managing Director
StomperNet, LLC
“My success, part of it certainly, is that I have focused in on a few things.”
~ Bill Gates ~
Microsoft Founder
Theory of Constraints: 2 Focus Laws of Leadership
By Dr. Lisa Lang
Presidents Day, next month, makes me think of our great leaders. So I did a little Internet surfing on leadership.
In a Google search, there were 154,000,000 results for the word “leadership”. On the National Speakers Association’s website, there are 650 speakers who are experts on Leadership.
I don’t know about you, but as an engineer and NOT a very touchy feely kind of person, I have trouble relating to all the discussion on leadership.
I don’t have anything against leadership or the people who speak on it or write about it (there are tons of those people and some of them are my friends), I just don’t see what all the fuss is about.
There are only two things – guiding principles, if you will — that an owner or manager needs to keep in mind. I call them the Theory of Constraints 2 Laws of Leadership:
1) Don’t be a sissy.
2) Just do it.
Any leader, who is bold about what they want and goes after it without apology and with perseverance, has my attention. And if this direction is delivered in a respectful way, they have my respect. I will follow where they lead. (Am I alone here?)
Don’t Be a Sissy
Now that sounds easy, probably too easy. So let’s apply it. Don’t be a sissy means: don’t let old patterns, past ways of doing things, and failures stop you from whatever your goals are.
Pick a technique, a philosophy, or anything that you think might get you closer to your goals. And realize that if you want improvement, you have to DO SOMETHING different. It is also true that not all change is improvement, so select carefully, but DO make a selection.
I once told a client who wanted to do an incentive program (which generally I’m against) that I didn’t care if they wanted to bring clowns in on Fridays – but to DO SOMETHING.
Now, I’m partial to my programs for the “something to do” – but even if you don’t go with the changes I recommend, you will get some improvement simply by doing something and sticking with it.
For example, GE chose Six Sigma as the horse they would ride. I can tell you why that may not be the best overriding philosophy, and how they could get better results by using Theory of Constraints to direct their Six Sigma efforts, but the reality is that they did improve by making the selection and sticking to it.
(And, by the way, when we did a Mafia Offer Boot Camp with one of the divisions in GE Energy – I explained why Six Sigma may not be enough for them to take it to the next level. And, to my surprise, they actually followed some of my advice.)
“Don’t be a sissy” also means don’t make excuses and don’t blame anyone but yourself for the results you get or don’t get.
It is our job as managers to put systems and processes in place that get the results we want. Our systems and processes comprise the policies, procedures and measures that direct our peoples’ actions. If you’re not getting the results you want, just look in the mirror.
Don’t listen to the voice in your head or to your employees who say:
“that will never work”
“we already tried that, and it doesn’t work here”
“you don’t understand …”
And one other thing that “don’t be a sissy” means is that if you make a mistake, choose poorly, or fail – then get over it, and find what IS going to work.
This is NOT in conflict with my prior statement of “sticking with it”. I find that people either 1) don’t try something long enough to see if it’s going to work – they get distracted by the next new shiny thing; or 2) they stick with it forever despite the poor results.
I’m suggesting a rational balance between the two. And a good way to do that is to decide ahead of time what success and failure look like, then do everything to can to make whatever you decided to do a success.
Just Do It
If you want better results you are going to have to do things differently. Simply decide WHAT you’re going to do and just do it.
So now that you know how not to be a sissy and you’ve decided what you are going to go do. Just do it!
“Just do it” does NOT mean steam rolling your people (but at the same time don’t let THEM be sissies!), it means to focus and get it done NOW.
Use the Theory of Constraints buy-in and “yes, but …” processes to get agreement on what you want to do and why you want to do it. These processes also serve to clarify what exactly you’re going to go do and usually the solution improves in the process.
Then, if you have someone who just doesn’t want to do it — do it anyway. Ask them if they are willing to try (really try) it. If so, then get on with it. If not, maybe it’s time to replace that person with someone who is.
Don’t make excuses as to why you can’t start now. If there are other things going on, and those things are NOT your biggest most important project (yes singular) – stop doing them. You can start them again if they become your biggest priority.
There are really only 2 Theory of Constraints “Just Do It” measures:
1) Reliability – did you do what you said, when you said you’d do it. Whatever the something was you decided to do – did you do it on-time? If you are unreliable, you didn’t. If you are reliable, you did it, and finished when you said you would. Due date performance is a type of reliability measure.
2) Effectiveness – you didn’t waste time being distracted on other things and/or doing things you shouldn’t have been done. Ineffectiveness is the biggest cause of unreliability and “not doing”. If you’re doing things you shouldn’t, typically you are making it very difficult to be reliable and get done what you should.
Being ineffective is really a focusing issue – both not working on the right things and working on too many things at one time.
So get really clear on what you’re going to do and what you’re NOT going to do, and then get it done.
And to me, that takes care of leadership. There are only 2 things you need to do:
1) Don’t be a sissy!
2) Just do it!
If you’d like help developing your Mafia Offer check out our on-line Mafia Offer Boot Camp at www.MafiaOfferBootCamp.com.
Visit Scienceofbusiness.com/subscribe.html to receive weekly emails on various Theory of Constraints topics. Get a TOC Tip of the day on twitter: www.Twitter.com/TOCExpert.
Video
Strategic Thinking: Clarifying Your Thoughts to Grow Your Business
By Judy Whalen
STOMPER Speed Boost
Last month we hinted this was coming.
And you’ve been asking for it since we opened our doors 5 years ago.
What is it?
Join us tomorrow, Friday, Jan 20th @ 2pm Eastern, and learn about our all new “Done For You” SEO Services!
Stomper Buzz
Next Week’s Focus: Blogging
UPCOMING PUBLIC WEBINAR:
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“StomperNet Open Forum” Fridays at 11EDT
We know everyone has questions about their business or different stumbling blocks. Well we invite you to bring them to the table during our Open Forum. With the combined training and experience of our Coaches you will get the direction you need to get you back on your road to success!
The next StomperNet Open Forum Call with our Professional Coaches happens next Friday at 11am EDT and we hope to see you there! These calls are intended to be live Q&A sessions and playback will not be available.
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