Your Ultimate Motivational Resource for Business Strategy and Leadership

Twenty Four months ago these business owners set out on a journey. They were uncertain about what to expect, had no idea what they wanted, had little knowledge of what having a successful business felt like, no idea how they could create change. All they knew was that change was needed.

It appears that the start of a new decade and a new year has created a mindset shift... and more business owners are making more strategic decisions. So what does this have to do with strategic leadership?

Self esteem is often seen as a person's overall sense of self-worth or personal value. In other words, how much you appreciate and like yourself. Having this as a leader allows you to help those around you develop the same... a key to getting the best results.

Our focus has gone from the strategic management of our business to managing the day to day. As leaders, it's key for us to be looking for opportunities to keep an eye on the big picture. Constantly being in the weeds will make delivering our desired vision challenging.

"How do I set up a plan for the year when I don't really know what I want to do" is one of the most common comments we hear at this time of year. Not knowing what you want from you and your business is a bit like getting in the car and not knowing where you would like to go.

By running strategy days and helping businesses get clear on what they want for 2020, we get exposure to different leadership styles. Some have teams inspired to do whatever is needed to deliver success. These teams tend to be made up of leaders, taking ownership of their own standards and performance, which in turn adds value to the business.

As business leaders, we can choose to proactively manage the pre Christmas rush and continue to deliver value. So how can we ensure a positive impact on our business... here are some tips:

The drama that engulfed the team and Cricket Australia led to a far reaching and brutally honest review highlighting failures in leadership and culture.

Have you ever muttered or heard these muttered by those around you: “I need a business mentor who can be a business sounding board and help me create momentum” “I’m frustrated we aren’t getting the results we want” “I need new ideas to improve my business efficiency”

"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

Over the past month there have been several conversations where customer service has been raised and managing client expectations has been identified as a business strategy challenge.

"I'm frustrated that the people i'm supposed to be working with don't get it and I have to keep pushing them to get the message across. It's taking up a lot of my time and it's easier to just do the things myself". This is the most common frustrations that come up in Business Strategy sessions...

“When done well, strategic planning is simple”. Having a clear business strategy, leader development plan or annual strategy day retreat can be highly effective in moving you and your position forward.

We are constantly being asked, either by ourselves or others, to make decisions. The impact of making those decisions is one which is generally discounted as "just something that you do". But are we getting the most out of our decisions?

Sport is such a wonderful arena for providing opportunities to be challenged, to learn about yourself and to grow. It provides so many parallels to business and lessons in overcoming challenges.

Are we producing the right content so our ideal customers jump at the opportunity to work with us? 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.

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.

What is the difference between this and how we interact with those within our businesses? Where we have teams, do our team members crave the feeling of "being part of the team", spending time with the boss, learning from someone they look up to and who inspires them.

Being the leader of a team or owner of a business comes with responsibilities, most of which start the moment we sign on to do the job. We create the expectations for all those involved in the venture, we set the standards and we set the example for all to follow. It's a challenge I've seen and spoken about over the past week.

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.

A culture of success, both for you and your organisation, is built on communicating clear expectations, inclusion and celebrating the wins. Building this will create a space where people care about each other, strive to grow and proactively look for opportunities to raise the standard.

Teams that consistently perform at the highest levels are able to come together and be unified across the organization - staff, players, coaches, management, and ownership. When everyone is on the same page, trust develops, and teams can grow and succeed together.

By taking the time to stop and appreciate who you are and what you've achieved - and perhaps learned through a few mistakes, stumbles and losses - you actually can enhance everything about you. Self-acknowledgment and appreciation are what give you the insights and awareness to move forward toward higher goals and accomplishments

It made me reflect on how often, as business owners and leaders, we choose to overlook making time to get clear on where we are going on our journey. Without a clear target or ultimate outcome, we make it tough to know what we are striving for and whether we are on track.

Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.- M. Scott Peck. I had a fear of failure and a need to make sure everything was perfect before taking something on. I had to know I wouldn't fail before I would say yes...

To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch.

A leader is someone who steps back from the entire system and tries to build a more collaborative, more innovative system that will work over the long term". - Robert Reich. The past week has seen a lot of conversations on whether to focus on short term versus long….

"People are remarkably bad at remembering long lists of goals. I learned this at a professional level when trying to get my high-performance coaching clients to stay on track; the longer their lists of to-dos and goals, the more overwhelmed and off-track they got. Clarity comes with simplicity". Brendon Burchard

"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

Always trust the process. I'm a firm believer in that. You know, you keep your eyes on the destination, and of course there will always be detours, but if you're moving towards it, you will always get there

Always believe in yourself and keep going. You don't have to have the most talent in the world. You don't have to be the smartest person in the world. If you persist and you persist and you persist, you will be successful.

You have to build trust among team members so that people feel free to admit what they don't know, make mistakes, ask for help if they need it, apologise when necessary, and not hold back their opinions

A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you're in and take advantage of it." Nikki Giovanni

Recently we facilitated a workshop focussed on the Customer Experience....breaking down the lifetime journey of a customer and their experience throughout. The business already runs a very successful operation, yet chose to review things to ensure they were delighting their customers every step of the way. 

We always have the freedom to choose... whether it be to do the same thing or do something different, choosing how we react to situations. What then generally gets in our way is the fear of uncertainty in the outcomes we "may or may not" achieve. The belief that the worst case may happen can overpower the potential for a successful result.

Leadership contains certain elements of good management, but it requires that you inspire, that you build durable trust. For an organisation to be not just good but to win, leadership means evoking participation larger than the job description, commitment deeper than any job contract's wording". Stanley A. McChrystal    

Leaders must exemplify integrity and earn the trust of their teams through their everyday actions. When you do this, you set high standards for everyone at your company. And when you do so with positive energy and enthusiasm for shared goals and purpose, you can deeply connect with your team and customers. Marillyn Hewson
 

"Success isn't always about greatness. It's about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come" Dwayne Johnson    

We here at the Mentoris Group, would like to thank all those who have read, commented, provided feedback, shared and supported another year of motivational tips. Your feedback and support is invaluable to ensuring we consistently keep raising the bar with our messages.

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation”. Brian Tracy

Leadership contains certain elements of good management, but it requires that you inspire, that you build durable trust. For an organisation to be not just good but to win, leadership means evoking participation larger than the job description.

What we need to do is always lean into the future; when the world changes around you and when it changes against you - what used to be a tail wind is now a head wind - you have to lean into that and figure out what to do because complaining isn't a strategy

"One of the things I realised is that if you do not take control over your time and your life, other people will gobble it up. If you don't prioritise yourself, you constantly start falling lower and lower on your list, your kids fall lower and lower on your list". Michelle Obama

As far as self-confidence goes, so much of social media is about approval, getting likes, comparing our lives to others' - meanwhile, confidence is an inside job: it's about how you feel about yourself regardless of what anyone else does or thinks.

Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it. M. Scott Peck

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

"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

“What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are". Tony Robbins     

"Delegate to others who have strengths where you don't. But sometimes, you just need to be the one to drive the change when everyone else is waiting for someone else to take the first step. To me, that's courage in action". Robin S. Sharma

"Change can be frightening, and the temptation is often to resist it. But change almost always provides opportunities - to learn new things, to rethink tired processes, and to improve the way we work". Klaus Schwab

"The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves". Steven Spielberg

"The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don't have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it". Chris Pine

Over the past 3 years i've experienced the rollercoaster that is being a small business owner. Inconsistent cashflow, unsuccessful quotes, shattered expectations and questioning my own ability to meet my own high expectations.... who's with me on this one ?

Procrastination is something that happens to us all, causing a lack of success, frustration, overwhelm and creating the perception of not having enough time. By putting off certain activities, whether through fear of getting an unfavourable result, not being able to do the activity or not knowing what's expected...

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. Walt Disney 

Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfilment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them. Jack Canfield

One of the biggest factors preventing us from getting the results we want is us. We tend to have all the skills to succeed, to exceed expectations and raise standards to the next level. Yet we don't back these up and believe we're good enough to deliver.... something I've experienced on many occasions.

"Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains." - Steve Jobs

Be willing to step outside your comfort zone once in a while; take the risks in life that seem worth taking. The ride might not be as predictable if you'd just planted your feet and stayed put, but it will be a heck of a lot more interesting". Edward Whitacre, Jr. 

Talking with multiple business owners over the past week, predominantly about what they wanted their business to look like in 12 months, bought up a number of challenges being faced.

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”.

"It all adds up...never discount your efforts, because small efforts build big things. One word doesn't make a novel, but one word does begin a novel, and from that small beginning everything else follows. Even if it's just 'The', write something on that blank page". - Laurell K. Hamilton

Sometimes known as Imposter Syndrome, it's something that up to 70% of us experience. Feelings of not being worthy, limited self-belief and fear of failure often stop us from going after (or holding on to) things we really want. 

Traditionally, a leader has seen their role as being the one who delivers results, mostly from the corner office having very little contact with those on the ground. Making the decisions in isolation that drive growth, with the organisation expected to ‘follow the leader’ and get on with helping the company grow.

You sit down this morning to plan out your week and find there are meetings to be booked, conversations to be had, travel plans to be made, finances to be considered, family commitments to be planned...

This weekend saw the first of our rugby trial games, played in hot conditions testing both physical and mental strength. Over the course of the trial, the team grew together, developing their culture through backing each other and working out their strengths to create momentum. Leaders, Leading…

Over the past few months I have been invited to join a number of organisations in varying capacities. Team Building, Board Member, Business mentor and forecasting specialist, Head Coach... adding to existing responsibilities of son, grandson, godfather, brother, fiance and my favourite.... fun uncle!     

Lead from within - I've seen leaders stand at the front and say follow me, yet they hadn't earned the respect for the team to follow. Build rapport with your team and use their collective individual strengths to build a results driven group

“There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen ie; make your move, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened.” - Mark Kay Ash

Have you ever been ‘stuck’ to ask the question for whatever reason, whether a promotion, an opportunity or simply to see what’s around the corner? The past week involved conversations about strategic partnering, growth strategies, what to do when you find yourself in a leadership position and also some time at the cricket...networking of course. 

"Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we're supposed to be, and embracing who we are" Over the course of the past week I have met some amazing people and had many conversations that have reinforced the belief that being yourself is so much easier that trying to be something you are not. 

Having little clarity, not knowing who you are and who you want to be, can be challenging... a challenge I personally faced a few years ago. Lacking Self Awareness impacts you, those around you, your career and your business.

Having had an opportunity to relax, reflect, and reconnect over the holiday period, it has reinforced the idea that it's your time, your journey that you’re on and it's up to you to drive the direction of your own journey.

How is Self Awareness is the New Business Strength? Over the past month I've had many conversations with people wishing the Christmas break was here already. Is it a craving for cake, ham off the bone or an afternoon nap post the turkey feast that's driving this...

Having recently accepted a head coaching role, it became apparent that I was now the one who was responsible for the direction of the team. Simply being a member of the team was not an option, unless we were setting out to get average results. Leading by Example was the only way forward.

Having just come out of a meeting where the group concerned has gone through a significant transformation, from underperforming with a somewhat challenging culture, to be focussed on growth and adding value to everyone in the room, I find myself asking When is the right time tor transformation?  

During this past month, I had the opportunity to present to a group of legal professionals and industry professionals. I spoke to them around the question of You are on the road to Where?

This weekend has been a time to reflect and recharge the batteries, do some planning as we come in to the festive season when everything becomes even more hectic, and look forward to some exciting things coming up. It also had me thinking about how effective we choose to be with how we spend our time.  

This past weekend was one of concerts, building relationships and a huge success that was a long time coming. With all these events, one of the common underlying themes was being selfish.... putting yourself first, looking after number one to create success. But doesn't this go against all we are told growing up... don't be selfish?

At 5.45am Sunday morning an army of volunteers gathered to help set up for the Walk for Awareness, an annual event organised by The Mental Awareness Foundation  to raise awareness around Mental Health. The pace was frantic as there would soon be over 2000 people descending on the park under the Storey Bridge in Brisbane, all looking for their registration packs.

Take Action - without taking steps to get a result we limit our ability to get the result. If I don't knock I won't get to know if the bathroom is free

In this week's video we suggest when setting your structured goals to consider work and personal goals in the process, as both impact the goals that will be achieved.

In this week's video we give you an insight in to how you can own the times when you feel overwhelmed.

In this week's video we give you an insight in to the benefits of controlling your focus on things you can benefit from.

In this week's video we give you an insight in to how working together in clutch teamwork situations will get you the results

In this week's video we give you a couple of tips to help you create momentum for you, your career or your business.
This week I had a conversation with a business owner who had been preventing themselves from getting closed business and creating the momentum they were wanting.

In this week's video we give you a couple of tips to help you be the person who boldly chooses their direction and is empowered by their self belief.

In this week's video we look at a couple of tips to building rapport and ultimately trust.
Do you want to be that person who has the ability to consistently put themselves in unfamiliar situations and be able to build rapport with others easily?

In this week's video, we explore the concept of structuring to get back time in your day, something we all seem to want yet find challenging to achieve. 

In this week's video, I recognise that over time we delete, distort and generalise the way in which we see things.... based on past experiences.  

In this week's video I am using your feedback as an example of something we can adopt in our days to get better results. When getting your feedback, something I had no control over, I had a choice to make. To either see the feedback as criticism and react accordingly.

Do you feel you need more time to get through your workload ? 

Here are a couple of ideas that might help. 

When we spend so much time in our business or a particular job, we can become comfortable with where we are and what we are doing. When we get comfortable, it becomes even more challenging to consider anything other than being comfortable.... choosing to step up and challenge the status quo in an attempt to grow can become all too hard.

This week look at the decisions you are facing, and where they appear to be negative, ask what will I do to get a beneficial outcome out of this situation.

Short weeks can be stressful - Over the next 4 weeks, we in Australia experience 4 working weeks each containing a public holiday. That's awesome some would say...

Can you say that your boss is truly getting the best of you? Do love your job or the business you are in? Not likely, according to the research.

Be the Hero in your own story - How often do you see children's stories involving a person who does something heroic? Last week there was a seminar Myriad 2017 held at the Brisbane Powerhouse. Among the speakers was Patrice Brown, Telstra Business Women's Queensland Entrepreneur for 2016.

How can we adjust to being fully present to build our Resilience? "Are you listening to me" or "did you hear what I just said" are phrases that we hear all too often as we are growing up. Is it intentional that we are not focussing on the person in front of us, or is it simply somewhere else we would rather be than doing our homework?

Can Fear and Gratitude co-exist? Over the past few days i've been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience some simply amazing events and  be surrounded by some amazing people.

Throughout a successful corporate career spanning more than 20years, there have been many times where I have chosen to ignore my self belief to deliver on expected outcomes.

It's time to change when you've had enough! ….With an alarming regularity, we find ourselves so busy being busy that we miss a critical opportunity to step back and take stock of what we are doing, who we are doing it with and WHY we do it.

"Do all those around you know how they impact your ability to be successful?" Over the past week, I have been fortunate to have conversations with a lot of people involved in either running events or pushing themselves to drive and be even more successful in their lives.

Over the past week I have had a number of conversations regarding embracing change and how to best handle it. Whether it be implementing a new idea at work, changing direction in your career, or moving from a career stage in to post career.... all involve making a decision to change.

Where is your passion? ….Having now had time to rest, reflect and appreciate all that 2016 was, I have found myself looking at 2017 in a very different light.

Having had a few days to put the work tools down and give the body and brain a rest from the hustle, i've realised how lucky I've chosen to be. Sound cryptic like dad's crossword...I'll explain.

Over the course of the past two weeks I have learned a LOT about how we treat this thing we can very easily take for granted.... Life.

The past three days have been filled with so many different emotions and reasons for being Inspired. Some events saw the recognition of outstanding achievements, others saw people setting out on a new journey.

Your team is your success….Over the past three days I have been fortunate enough to attend a business retreat on the Sunshine Coast. The purpose was to review 2016 and look forward to 2017.  

After sitting in multiple back-to-back meetings on Friday, I realised a common theme had been part of each discussion... are we being driven towards an "Instant society". Let me explain.  

Here’s what to do if you don't make it to the gym or chose to sleep - give yourself 3 bits of gratitude to get your week/day off to a running start.  

Work out which type of leader you are, how you can get the best out of your team and be willing to give those around you the opportunity to shine...

We can choose to spend the extra day topping up the family time, which may suffer from long hours in the office or travelling.

Start with your desired Outcome in mind – stand at the desired outcome and look back at the steps required to reach the outcome

What does leadership mean to you? For some, a leader is one who is at the top, making the big decisions and leading from the front. They sit in the corner office on their own and provide the strategic direction for the company.

While sitting in a cafe over the weekend, many topics of conversation were thrown in to the mix for discussion... The Rio Olympics, work life imbalance, social calendars were all on topic..

This past weekend has been dominated by sport... Rugby finals, the Rio Olympics and the regular Saturday sport for those with children. Throughout all of this, a common theme was present relating to more than the sporting arena. 

Our lives are made up of a series of experiences or moments…. Some will leave us in tears and the feeling of why… others will fill us with joy and happiness giving us the feeling of that’s why. The majority of these moments happen and we have little control over how they occur.