Smart Leadership for Entrepreneurs – Part 3 of 3
This is the final installment of a three part series about smart leadership for entrepreneurs. Read Part 1 about creating accountability and listening, or Part 2 about making requests, using positive language, brainstorming and acknowledging.
Use these skills discussed here with your employees, clients, vendors and anyone else you find yourself working with skills and begin to increase your success.
Develop a culture of celebrating everyone’s successes
When something goes great let other people know. Tell them when you solve a big problem, when you land an exciting new project, when you finish an crucial certification course. On the flip side ask other people to share their wins with you. Ask them for some wins, give them an opportunity to share with you what is exciting in their business.
Use your intuition
Sometimes you might have a thought or an idea that you cannot intellectually or practically justify. If you want to share it, share it. You can start by saying I have an unrelated thought I would like to bounce off you.” “I am having the sense that.” Trust your intuition and use your intuition.
Have a theme
Create an idea, affirmation or motto in the form of a phrase or sentence that supports a new belief or behavior you are trying to cultivate with your team. Themes can also hold the focus on a particular desired outcome you are working towards. Themes can help you put your attention on a particular skill you want to continue to develop.
Here are some examples of themes some of my clients have used: We easily create customer solutions, We expect success, Trust yourself and your ability to get the job done, New business is everywhere. Pick a different theme for your team each month.
No matter what is the size of your team, it is in your best interest to consider yourself a coach to your employees, vendors and clients. Utilize these coaching skills and watch how your meetings come to fruition with ease. Also your new skills will enhance all your professional interactions. What could be smarter?
Have you enjoyed this series? If you have tried any of the ideas shared here, or have additional suggestions, please leave a comment!
Smart Leadership for Entrepreneurs – Part 2 of 3
This is part two of a three part series about smart leadership for entrepreneurs. Read Part 1 about creating accountability and listening. Be sure to subscribe to this site (on the right) so you don’t miss the next installment!
Use these skills discussed here with your employees, clients, vendors and anyone else you find yourself working with skills and begin to increase your success.
Make powerful requests
Sometimes we think we have made a request when really we have only had a discussion. A request looks like: “Will you do that before our next appointment?” or “I request that you fax me your bid by Wednesday.” Not a request: “If you get a chance send me your updated information.” or “Let me know when you can help me with this project.” When you make a request there are one of three responses. Accept the request with a “yes” response. Decline the request with a “no” response or negotiate the request by making a counteroffer.
Use positive language
Eliminate judgment from your communication, take out the word “should” from your vocabulary. Replacement words and phrases might be – would, could, have you considered, it would serve you. When conversing with someone, never start a sentence with “But.” This word invalidates whatever came before it. Instead of “but” use the word “and.”
Brainstorm
When you do not have the answer to a challenge at hand, generate ideas to create a possible solution through brainstorming. When doing this with yourself or with someone else, remember to not comment, evaluate, judge or edit any thoughts or suggestions. Continue to write them all down until there are no more. Then begin a dialogue using the ones that seem the most appealing. Eventually you may have a solution.
Be acknowledging
Talk about the good things you are hearing, make sure the people you interact with know that you are aware of their, risks, wins, expertise, etc.
Acknowledging someone is very different than complimenting them.
An acknowledgment refers to WHO the person is being. An example would be, ” I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me, it shows me that my project is important to you.” “I want you to know that in working with you, it is clear to me that you know your industry and you really care about your clients.” A compliment refers to something the person did or is wearing. ” That was a delicious batch of cookies you made.” “I really like your lapel pin.”
Coming up in Part 3 – Develop a culture of celebrating success, use your intuition, and use themes.
Smart Leadership for Entrepreneurs – Part 1 of 3
This is part one of a three part series about smart leadership for entrepreneurs. Be sure to subscribe to this site (on the right) so you don’t miss the next installments!
Smart Leadership for Entrepreneurs – Part 1
A leader steps up, they provide direction, and sometimes even motivation to get things moving. In today’s world accomplishment is achieved largely through collaboration and making sure people feel seen, heard and a part of the process. Entrepreneurs are good at many things: being innovative, risk-taking and moving quickly. One of the skills many can use l more of is leadership. Having the skills of a leader helps you get everything done with more support and engagement from everyone involved.
Use these skills discussed here with your employees, clients, vendors and anyone else you find yourself working with skills and begin to increase your success.
Create accountability
In your professional interactions make sure decisions and actions are not only talked about. Always get a clear, definite agreement. Always have both parties write down any agreements. Each agreement must be specific and measurable and accompanied by a timeline for completion. For example, if someone says to you, ” I will see if I can get to your proposal this week,” create accountability with them by asking, “Are you agreeing to call me back with your decision by Friday?” Take it one step further and make a phone date for Friday to ensure you will get your answer.
Practice power listening
In business you want to show your interest and enthusiasm through both your verbal and nonverbal communication. You will learn a lot more from listening. To be a power listener put your full attention on being fully present with the other person. This includes maintaining open body language; do not cross your arms or legs. Remember to have a relaxed face. Sometimes people are concentrating so hard they look like they are frowning. This intimidates the speaker. Always maintain constant eye contact when listening. Allow no interruptions, do not answer the phone do not begin to talk with anyone else, give the speaker your full attention. Use “ I am listening” words and phrases i.e.. “aha,” “yes,” “I see,” “really,” “interesting,” “I hear you.”
Coming up in Part 2 – Make powerful requests, use positive language, brainstorm, and acknowledge. Be sure to subscribe!
Seven Savvy Strategies to Make Your Business Thrive
Streamlined Radio Show
Holly Chantal from the Streamlined Success Radio Show interviewed me about Seven Savvy Strategies to Make Your Business Thrive. During this show, you will learn how to:
INTERVIEW ON CHAT WITH WOMEN
If you missed my recent radio interview on Chat with Women on How t
o Make Your Business Thrive! here it is. This interview was super fun!
Make it Thrive! Strategies for Breakthrough Living
Sharon Michaels just interviewed me on women and having a thriving business. We had a great discussion.
Listen now for some inspiration as well as great ideas.
CLICK TO LISTEN: Make it Thrive! Strategies for Breakthrough Living
Interview on Femme Finance Radio
I was interviewed by Debbie Whitlock on Femme Finance Radio, on How to Have a Thriving Business.
We had a great discussion. We discussed working on your business, not working in your business, as well as setting up strategic alliances, getting help with implementation, marketing, planning, and more.
Give me a chance- it takes me a few minutes to warm up. Click here to listen:
http://www.attractclientswithease.com/interviews.htm
About Femme Finance™ The Radio Program:
After a series of seminars several years ago it became obvious that there needed to be a place for women to come who were committed to increasing their learning about investing and finances.
Born out of the study group that started meeting in 2007 – Femme Finance(TM) hit the airwaves on December 4, 2009 through the I’m Thankful Network. Heard every Friday from 9-10 am Pacific Time, show host Debbie Whitlock sets the intention, that for “each hour we have the pleasure of sharing I intend to connect you with resources to elevate your financial literacy and begin to translate – what for many is the foreign language of finance.”
Do You Need a Ghost Publisher?
SUPER BIG NEWS!
My publishing company Power Dynamics Publishing just closed our first ghost publishing deal with a direct selling company. What that means is that my team and I will do all the publishing work to create a book that the consultants of this company will sell as an exciting custom product from this company.
As a ghost publisher my team will do the work and this company will have their name on the book as the publisher. The name of this company is a secret- that is part of the fun.
Are you involved with a company or organization or associate that would like to publish a book but do not know where to start? Consider a ghost publisher. A book is a great credibility builder and revenue generating product.
Is it time to see a ghost?
Influence: How to Create It, How to Keep It
The longer I am in business, the more I realize that who you know and who knows you is only the tip of the iceberg for having your network work for you. Networking—creating a pool of contacts from which you draw clients, resources, referrals and opportunities—is only the first step in having who you know work for you and your business.
Who you have met does not matter. What matters is who trusts you, respects you, remembers you, has a deep understanding of what you do, and wants to help you. When you have been able to create all this with one of your contacts, you now have influence. Influence equals ease in creating what you want in business and in life.
Follow these steps to create more influence with everyone you already know and everyone you will meet in the future.
Connecting
This is the networking part. In addition to meeting people at business events and in professional situations, you will also meet people socially at parties, at family gatherings and online. Make sure you are doing something everyday online and every week offline that helps you to meet more people.
Creating Rapport
Once you have met someone, you then have to begin to get to know them and build trust. Some easy ways to do this are to remember people’s names, follow up on any action you agreed to take, and invite people to go where you are going to increase your exposure to them. Also of course invite them to join your online network within 24 hours of meeting them. Additionally because so few people send notes anymore a “nice to meet you” note will go a long way to begin to build up your influence.
Communicating Your Needs
Only once you have a strong rapport with people, this is the time to make requests of them for business or contacts. If you ask people to hire you as soon as they meet you, you will probably see hesitation on their part and sometimes even resentment. It is naive to expect people to use your services or refer others to you until you have created influence.
Take a look now at the people in your network. Do you have a strong rapport with them? Do you stay in regular contact so they remember you? If you have, then it is time to make a request that people work with you or refer others to work with you. If not, go back to step one. Remember, the more influence you have, the more of what you want will come to you with ease.
Leave a comment below to let me know what your experience or challenges have been!
Make it Super Easy for Your Clients to Work with You
Do business with your clients the way they prefer it. Not the way you prefer it. I just had a vendor insist I pay through PayPal. I have a PayPal account, but I prefer to write checks and have invoices in my hands. What this vendor, whose work I like, does not know is that one of her competitors has been knocking on my door. My lack of ease with payment makes me more open to her competitor.
Guess what. You do not know who has been knocking on your clients’ doors, who they are friending on Facebook or who they are running into at a networking or social event.
The more we do business with our clients the way they like to do business, the better they will like-or even love-us and the more loyal they will be to us and send us more referrals.
To find out what your clients prefer with communications, service, billing and delivery, all you have to do is ask.