Category: Small Business

What leadership are we seeing with our recent fires?

Australian news is currently dominated by the bush fires alight across the nation. From the politicians trying to work out who’s at fault…. to the firefighters at the front line saving humans and homes – both are exhibiting leadership with different degrees of effectiveness.

The best form of leadership I’ve seen has been in the note left by a guy named Kale.

Paul Sekfy returned to his New South Wales home to find a note signed by the Urunga Rural Fire Service (RFS). Kale and his team of four managed to save the house of Paul. Shortly afterwards they found themselves in a firestorm and took shelter in Paul’s house with sixty foot high flames surrounding them. Following the passing of the fire, with the water in the fire truck hot an undrinkable, they raided Paul’s fridge finding the milk however before leaving, Kale penned the following note leaving it on the kitchen bench.

Kale Hardie-Porter left the note after taking refuge in a house he was protecting from the fires. Photo / Facebook — *Kale Hardie-Porter left the note after taking refuge in a house he was protecting from the fires.* Photo / Facebook

“PS – we owe you some milk” … The note was shared by Paul on Facebook and has since gone viral.

The leadership shown by Kale and Paul demonstrates commitment, resilience, integrity and a healthy dose of gratitude and old school honesty.

So how can you, like Kale (and Paul), make more quality decisions and continue to remain true to your values? Here are some tips to help:

Know and live your Values – being aware of what you truly value allows you to quickly assess whether a situation is asking you to go against these. Not being clear means you are more likely to go against what you believe in if making decisions under pressure.
Be aware of who you are (Be Authentic) –when we deal with others, what they are buying first is the person. The product or service will be secondary… so give them the best version of you so they know the feeling they will get when they choose to sign on. (See more on Authenticity in this article https://mentorisgroup.com.au/motivational/authenticity )
Value you and your Ability – when faced with a choice, back you and your skills to be able to take on an opportunity, or if not refer to someone who may be a specialist. Either way, you are helping someone who had a pain point which you are helping find a solution for. This will have them coming back to you as you have solved their problem. See more on valuing yourself at https://mentorisgroup.com.au/motivational/value-yourself

Today is a day where fortunately, we have the ability to choose. We can choose to exhibit the standards we expect and inspire those around us by setting a quality example, or we can watch others do it and wish we had chosen differently. Either way, we are making a choice so why not make one that sees you be in control.

Consider the decisions you are being called on to make. Are you able to make these seamlessly and create momentum or do they get put off until you are forced to make an under pressure coin toss type decision. Focus on your today’s actions and you will develop the ability to make quality decisions on the fly.

Local RFS brigades, like the one Kale is a part of, rely heavily on volunteers and contributions from their communities to sustain their efforts. If you’d like to help them out you can donate via this link.

Stay safe!

Cheers
Paul Farmer
Managing Director
h ttp://www.mentorisgroup.com.au

11 November 2019

Think Long Term Strategy and Win Win

“From my experience, the best advisors help in three ways: encourage you to look at the problem or opportunity from multiple angles; help you balance the tug of the short-term with important long-term priorities; and ask the tough questions you need to know to reach the best solution”.
Margo Georgiadis

When we get really busy and don’t seem to have enough time to get everything done, we tend to focus on the “here and now” and what needs to be done now to get things out the door. Some work late, some cut corners, some overlook inefficiencies in favour of delivery speed, most take the work on themselves just to get it out the door… I’ve seen cases where all of these have happened.

Although necessary, how is it contributing to building a more efficient and effective business in the longer term. How is it creating opportunities to allow those in more senior positions to spend more time building the business? How long can this strategic plan continue before the business results are impacted?

Taking these actions shows our effectiveness to manage expectations. Proactive conversations up front set timelines that will allow both the successful delivery of the activity and have the long-term opportunity also included. For example, delegating a task to someone for the first time will take extra time. Setting the expected delivery time to factor this in allows the skills transfer needed for this person going forward… that’s Win Win in my book.

So how do you achieve this in your role or business? Here are some tips that can help deliver long term benefits:

When “is” the right time – there never seems to be a best time to consider mixing things up. “If nothing changes, nothing changes” then comes in to play and we find the process gets put off until next time. Make the decision, create the opportunity to include others where possible and make it happen
Always be thinking long term – taking this view will bring results. Including another person in a client visit, someone who will ultimately be dealing with the client going forward, will let them take over and free you up to spend more time building the business.
Always ask the question – who could be doing this? Automatically doing is one way to get things out the door. Before you start, check in to see if there is someone else who can take on the activity. Is there an opportunity to pump up their tyres and show your belief in them? This can be a powerful recognition tool for your team members.

Consistently thinking of how to build the capabilities and skills of the team will empower them, show them that you care about developing their skills, create an environment where delegation is considered positive and deliver more strategic time for those running the business.

Consider where your focus is and how the above tips can help you in the coming months. Please forward to those who will benefit from our ongoing tips and get in contact if you need to reset your current strategy.

Have an awesome week !

Cheers
Paul Farmer
Managing Director
http://www.mentorisgroup.com.au

13 October 2019

Stay True to Your Purpose

“I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply ALL my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy”
Og Mandino

We do things for a reason… take on more responsibility, help others grow, volunteer to help those in need. Find what matters to you and make it a priority!

Strategic planning is about tying what you do currently to what you love to do. Why then do we work long hours, start businesses and take on responsibility when this is what it involves. These things are all helping us achieve what it is we ultimately want… whether it be flexibility, more personal growth, more family time or an ability to provide security for those you care about.

So how do tie to our purpose through strategic planning ? Here are some tips that have worked for our clients:

CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THINGS – when you become frustrated with something or someone, consider the situation from another perspective… theirs perhaps? I find this helps in strategic planning sessions, where there is frustration yet it’s only from the perspective of the business owner or leader. Changing your perspective may give it a different context.
ORGANISE TO MAKE THINGS EASY AND SIMPLE – when things are over complicated and cumbersome, we can tend to put them off until they become absolutely necessary. This means they stay on the “to do list” and get shuffled around like peas on a child’s plate. Make the tasks simple and smaller and you will attack them.
REMEMBER WHY YOU CARE – you’ve generally chosen to be in the situation you are in. The career, the business, the collaboration is the thing that provides you the opportunity to do more of what you love… hang out with family, take trips away, eat well. Remembering why you choose to take action and be the best version of you will help you stay true to your Purpose!

Losing sight of why you do what you do is common. Staying true to it, and seeing situations in the light of the above tips, will help you keep on your path and be able to navigate those times when things get a little unclear.

Forward this on to those in your networks so they too can get value from our regular tips. If you would like to be that leader who sets their standard at levels others will follow, send us a note at strategy@mentorisgroup.com.au and let’s chat about how we can add value.

Have an awesome week!

Cheers
Paul Farmer
Managing Director
http://www.mentorisgroup.com.au

8 September 2019

Vision, Performance and Business Process

Brisbane based Business Strategy with interstate interests…

“Champions are not the ones who always win races – champions are the ones who get out there and try. And try harder the next time. And even harder the next time. ‘Champion’ is a state of mind. They are devoted. They compete to best themselves as much if not more than they compete to best others. Champions are not just athletes”. Simon Sinek

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the feelings surrounding you, your performance, your “perceived” performance and meeting expectations. Are we producing the right content so our ideal customers jump at the opportunity to work with us? Am I doing all I can to exceed my KPI’s to ensure I get recognised for my performance. Am I providing the vision that those around me need to get where we are heading? All great questions that have come up in conversations over the past week.

To be honest, the focus of these questions tends to be on the Results…. not the Process. They say “If you focus on the process, the results will take care of themselves”. This has been proven to be a stumbling block for many quality leaders, spending too much time on what they don’t have now, rather than what they need to do to get that.

How do we keep our focus on the process and not the result? Here are 3 tips to help:

Know where you are going – when we know what we are ultimately striving for, we have set the goalposts and can bring our focus back to the tasks at hand. Having said that, as we get stuck in to taking action, we must keep one eye on the long term, to make sure what we do in the short term is getting us towards these end goals
Take control to eliminate distractions – without structure in our schedule it’s too easy to get distracted. Social media, group chats about the football on the weekend, group chats about social media…. the opportunity to procrastinate is ever present. Scheduling dedicated time for potential distractions will remove the urge to be taken off course at other times.
Enjoy the process – you’ve chosen to be in the work space you are in and to be doing what you are currently doing. If we choose to stay in this space, then we get on with things and find ways to enjoy the space… like creating games for you and your teams, rewards for hitting targets each week, Fri afternoon off when work’s sorted by lunchtime. Have fun and the results will come.

This week, check in to see if you have a clear idea of where your plane is heading, whether you are thinking about what you will do when you get there or how you are going to get to your seat and what movies are on offer, and how you can make your flight enjoyable… all things you can control to end up at your desired destination.

We’d love for you to forward this on to those in your networks so they will get value from our regular tips. If you need help being the real and best version of you, send us a note at strategy@mentorisgroup.com.au as we would love the opportunity to chat about how we can help.

Have an awesome week!

Cheers
Paul Farmer
Managing Director
http://www.mentorisgroup.com.au

1 September 2019

I Can See Clearly Now…Clarity in Business

Clarity in Business Strategy creates options

“Often, if there’s something that I want to do, but somehow can’t get myself to do, it’s because I don’t have clarity. This lack of clarity often arises from a feeling of ambivalence – I want to do something, but I don’t want to do it; or I want one thing, but I also want something else that conflicts with it.” Gretchen Rubin

It generally takes a major event to make us stop and think about what we are doing. Whether it’s making an uncharacteristic error of judgment, letting someone down, losing a client or realising you spend more time at work than with your family. So many leaders and business owners don’t realise this is actually happening to them.

I say this with experience as this was me. Oblivious to the impact that consistent 80hr days were having on me and my life, I had lost the clarity on what I was striving for. The direction and clarity of “why” I was pushing myself so hard had been replaced by trying to meet my view of other’s expectations. I’ve recently recognised this in some business leaders i’ve had an opportunity to work with.

How then do I get clarity so I can stay on track to achieve my goals? Here are 3 tips:

What are you creating – we invest so much time, effort and money on developing something (a business or a career) we think will make us happy… then spend so much time unclear on what this actually is. Get clear on what you ultimately want and what’s going to make you happy.
Actually set goals – show me a business leader frustrated with their results and i’m sure the goals they have are either missing, irrelevant or there’s no accountability to whether they are being achieved. Get SMART goals in place and use them as a target to inspire & motivate
Check in regularly – periodically checking in on performance and desired outcomes adds accountability and keeps the reason why we do things front of mind. This clarity acts like the autopilot function on plane, keeping you on track to arrive to your desired destination safely.

This week ask yourself “Do I know what I want from my business or my Career, Do I have goals in place and when was the last time I checked in on these.” If you are currently frustrated with your results, recognising where you need to focus is step one in taking the right action.

Have an awesome week!

Cheers
Paul Farmer
Managing Director
http://www.mentorisgroup.com.au

25 August 2019

Try To Do Everything and You’ll End Up Doing nothing

“Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers.”
Robin S. Sharma

During this week, we’ve come to realise again that being leaders in business, involves wearing many hats. From being the visionary steering the ship, to ensuring the crew have all the tools they need to get the most out of the “engine room”, to ensuring all on the ship are aligned on getting to the intended destination both quickly and safely. In some businesses, one or a couple of team members choose to take these on.

This started me thinking… what stops us from sharing the load and feeling like we have to keep doing everything? Some of the common items i’ve encountered in just the past month include “Financial constraints; They will never do it as well as I do; It’ll be quicker if I do it; I don’t have time in my schedule to show someone how to do this now; I don’t have a documented process for this…”. These are all comments i’ve heard in the past week and are show stoppers.

So how do we create an environment where we share the hats? Here are 3 ways we can create this space:

Know your Value – should someone at my level be doing tasks that can be taken on by someone else… often adding to their development and bringing a new variety to the activities they are responsible for;
Where will you spend your time – some fear the silence when the music (activity) stops. This can be avoided by making sure you have plan in place as to what you will do once you create time in your schedule. The 4 D’s (Do, Delete, Delegate or Diarise) will help with this and open up the growth in your schedule;
Get a Sounding board – when we are busy with a lot happening, sometimes you need an opportunity to speak to someone not wrapped up in your busyness. They give you an independent perspective, which comes from an untarnished, objective place and helps you see outside the square.

This week, take a moment to think about your environment. Are you wearing all the hats and is that impacting your ability to be present, to develop others and to share the workload? This new independent perspective may give you an incentive to take different action and create some momentum.

Feel empowered and forward this on to those in your networks who will get value from our regular Business Strategy tips. If you need help being the real and best version of you, send us a note at strategy@mentorisgroup.com.au and we’d love to chat about how we can help.

Have an awesome week!

Cheers
Paul Farmer
Managing Director
http://www.mentorisgroup.com.au

11 August 2019

Keep Moving Forward

“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.”

– John F. Kennedy

Every day we are faced with situations that challenge us… do I hit snooze and cancel the PT, do I catch a bus or walk to work, do I push back on an unrealistic request to do more hours so I don’t miss out on seeing my family before they go to bed. Add to this the expectation we will respond to questions and deliver a result quickly, regardless of whether the query is sent during or after office hours. It’s easy to see why there is so much stress, anxiety and overwhelm being openly identified in business. Living in 2019 means social media, smartphones and networking platforms make us accessible 24/7.

So what are the trends?
Kate Carnell, CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce, recently said “Businesses are now seeing the financial and personal cost of stress. More businesses are operating with fewer resources and staff are working often harder and longer hours.” Security of employment, constant workplace change, increased workloads, stronger competition and unclear work processes are all adding to the stress experienced by business owners and workers.

How can we buck the trends?

Build our resilience to get better outcomes and continue to make the challenging decisions. Have the confidence to make a decision and know, regardless of the outcome, there is always potential for an outstanding outcome.

Here are 5 ways to help you make that decision:

Don’t agonise over decisions for long periods of time…make them and get on with getting your outcomes
Back your judgement and make more decisions
Encourage others to make decisions
Take action
Encourage suggestions for improvement with others… makes them more likely to bounce back from making a mistake

This week, look at all the decisions you have been putting off. Are you helping yourself or your business by putting them off, or can you change this and get on the road to bigger and better things. I’m backing you to take the steps and make things happen.

Feel empowered and forward this on to those in your networks who will get value from our regular tips. If you need help being the real and best version of you, send us a note at strategy@mentorisgroup.com.au and we’d love to chat about how we can help.

Have an awesome week!

Cheers
Paul Farmer
Managing Director
http://www.mentorisgroup.com.au

28 July 2019

Business Owners…Why Do You Care?

“There are two ways to build a career or a business. We can go through life hunting and pecking, looking for opportunities or customers, hoping that something connects. Or we can go through life with intention, knowing what our piece looks like, knowing our WHY, and going straight to the places we fit.”
― Simon Sinek

Over the past month I’ve spent a lot of time speaking to business owners and leaders. The consistent message has been that the past six months has been challenging. Whether it’s been the state of the economy, the election, the stage in a business cycle or having team members choosing to change direction post 30 June…. it’s been a challenging time.

In most instances, these challenges have clouded their clarity and resulted in them becoming flat and lacking motivation. Have you felt like this recently?

What’s helped keep moving them forward, towards the outcomes they want, has been asking them WHY they care about what it is they do. Why does their business matter… why does their team matter… why does their career matter…. TO THEM. This re-connection to why things matter, their purpose, helps refocus their effort on creating something that matters to them. Renewed direction brings a renewed energy and a renewed desire to be even more successful.

This week, check in on where you are in your business or career. If you are feeling a bit flat, ask yourself “What am I building towards and why does it matter”. This clarity will give you a renewed energy and help create even more momentum.

Forward this on to those in your networks who need to create positive change in their circles. If you need help creating positive change and getting better results, send a note to strategy@mentorisgroup.com.au and we’ll get in contact.

Have an awesome week!

Cheers
Paul Farmer
Managing Director
http://www.mentorisgroup.com.au

22 April 2019

Ride That Wave – Courage & Resilience

“When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and resilience we did not know we had. And it is only when we are faced with failure do we realise that these resources were always there within us. We only need to find them and move on with our lives”. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

The past three days has given most of us the opportunity to recharge our batteries and spend time surrounded by quality friends and family. I don’t know about you, but I needed the opportunity to switch off and think about all things not relating to work, schedules and deadlines. It’s been so refreshing to be able to think about the little things that matter… like being 100% present in conversations, reading to develop a new skill and eating well.

So being at the beach it’s meant time in the ocean riding waves and being schooled by others. When it’s been me who’s been on the end of a dumping… I’ve been quickly reminded that I must get up and refocus as there is another wave coming which doesn’t care if you have your goggles on or you’ve taken a full breath.

This is exactly what being in business or in a leadership position is all about. You are going to ride waves in to the beach… this deserves a fist pump and back out in to the water to do it again. Then you will also get battered… and the results you get depend on you choosing to get up as quickly as you can to be ready to take the next wave.

This week, check in on how you deal with successes (ie how many fist pumps you are doing) and also how quickly you get back up after a challenge. Time spent in the game increases your chance of getting even more fist pump moments.

Feel empowered to forward on to those in your networks who will also get value from our regular tips. If you need to build your resilience, send us a note at strategy@mentorisgroup.com.au and we’d love to chat about how we can help.

Have an awesome week!

Cheers
Paul Farmer
Managing Director
http://www.mentorisgroup.com.au

11 March 2019

Work Smarter not Harder

Greatness comes by doing a few small and smart things each and every day. Comes from taking little steps, consistently. Comes from a making a few small chips against everything in your professional and personal life that is ordinary, so that a day eventually arrives when all that’s left is The Extraordinary. Robin S. Sharma

“I don’t have enough time in the day to get all the things on my list done” is the most common excuse used for why businesses and teams are not successful. Too many distractions, too many other priorities, too many deadlines… not enough time to get my work done. I heard it 3 times in one group sharing this week… you ever experienced this feeling? What does it mean to ‘work smarter’?

A common fact which tends to be overlooked is that we all have the same amount of hours in the day… 24. It’s how we choose to fill these hours that makes the difference in the results we get. Some choose to start the day with exercise, meditation, sleeping in, family time… others read first up for 2 hrs then start work related activities. It’s important to recognise we are all different and depending on what you want to achieve will drive your levels of prioritisation and areas of focus.

Here are 3 tips to help you work smarter and how you spend your time:

Plan – Start your day with an outline of the priorities you have, the non-negotiable activities and what you plan to get achieved from the day. They say “Structure gives you Freedom”, so starting with a plan gives you an idea what’s already due to be accomplished
Prioritisation – we often start the day with an outline of what we want to get achieved and then the day happens. Even when things come from left field, check in on where this fits in the priority and place it in the cue based on urgency
Manage Expectations – When things come at you during the day, don’t automatically say yes and assume this needs to be done instantly. Ask the question of “when is this due and is it ok for me to get it to you at a future time (later today, tomorrow…) as i’m in the middle of something important. By asking this question you find out when something can be scheduled in.

This week, check in on how you are managing your time and how efficient you are currently. Have you been using time as an excuse and is it time to apply the tips above to see how you can change your results.

Feel empowered to forward on to those in your networks who will also get value from our regular tips. If you want to build your capacity to delegate, send us a note at strategy@mentorisgroup.com.au and we’d love to chat about helping you build a better business or team.

Have an awesome week!

Cheers
Paul Farmer
Managing Director
https://www.mentorisgroup.com.au

About Paul Farmer, Mentoris CEO and Business Coach

With a background in finance, business strategy and leadership, Paul has built a reputation as a business mentor responsible for getting the best out of business owners and leaders. His calm and measured ways help create an environment where quality results are created, and growth is delivered for any business or large organisation.

For the best business mentor Brisbane and the Gold Coast has to offer, contact Paul Farmer at Mentoris. If you are a business owner seeking business mentoring support from someone with many proven years experience, you’ve come to the right place.

Find Out More

Read more about how we work with you for:

What leadership are we seeing with our recent fires?

Think Long Term Strategy and Win Win

Stay True to Your Purpose

Vision, Performance and Business Process

I Can See Clearly Now…Clarity in Business

Try To Do Everything and You’ll End Up Doing nothing

Keep Moving Forward

Business Owners…Why Do You Care?

Ride That Wave – Courage & Resilience

Work Smarter not Harder

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