Business mentor Paul Farmer

The business environment is an interesting one at the moment. There is a dynamic happening which we haven’t experienced before, certainly not recently anyway. There is an abundance of opportunities to take on work, yet there are also challenges with resources (whether they be getting supplies or people resources). As business owners, you are being asked to manage expectations on all fronts… not just one or two. This stretching of your time is seeing even the best leaders become reactive and feeling like they are starting to lose control. Are you starting to feel this ?

By backing the skills and energy you bring to the table, and choosing how to use them most effectively, you can identify where your time is most needed and how to influence the discussion outcomes. Being conscious of where your strengths are, allows you to look at the skill sets needed to create a successful outcome. If you are a problem solver by nature, and you spend all of your time dealing with paperwork and in unproductive meetings, how is this getting the most out of your time ? Either make the meetings productive (by being that problem solver) or create an opportunity for someone else to step in to that space….

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To bring your own skills to the forefront and to prioritise your time to utilise your skill sets takes valuing these skills and your time.

To help you do this, here are a couple of tips to help:

  • Value your skills & experience – you have worked hard to develop your skills that add to your value and set you apart from others. The power of knowledge and experience allows you to do things quicker and get results in a more efficient way. To those around you this is valuable as they get to see how they can have their challenges resolved sooner than with others. Sharing these with those around you will help them build their toolkit of skills.
  • Manage expectations early – as business leaders, you are the ones who get to set expectations of those around you. Whether it’s clients and delivery time, team members and work schedules, or your own time management, adding this to the way you operate will create certainty for those around you. If it is clear what expected up front, then those who may not feel this fits in to their space will say so… allowing that conversation to happen proactively rather than after things have become unclear and messy. Be up front and you will create things on your terms.
  • Be comfortable being you – as they say “people buy people”, and whether you like it or not, others will buy in to you before they will buy in to your product. Be ok with who you are and the value you bring to the table. Be prepared to do things in your way… which sometimes means saying no when opportunities don’t fit in to your space. Being known for someone who is genuine, open, authentic will have others who value this lining up to work with you. It will also have people remembering you and referring you to those in their circles.

In these interesting times, get clear on where you are choosing to focus your time and the skills you are bringing to the table. Are you getting the most out of your experience, skills and knowledge or are you reacting to what everyone else wants of your time. Be focussed and use your time wisely. 

Forward this to those who you think will benefit from our tips each Monday morning. We love helping quality owners and leaders create momentum and feel like they are empowered to make a difference. With the advent of Zoom, we can now work with businesses all over the world.  

Stay safe, keep looking forward and be the leader today !!