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The Competitive Edge Newsletter

 Edition 44

The Discipline of Getting Things Done

One of the things that separate businesses that grow from those that merely survive is execution...

...To execute is to carry out, to perform.

All the strategies in the world won't help in your business if you fail to get things done. Here's how to make it happen.

• First up, clearly define your objectives for the business in your own mind. What do you want to achieve? Do you have the people to help you do it? And if not, why not?
• To keep in touch with the daily realities of your business, mentally step back and take a panoramic view. Do you see synchronicity? Or do you see blockages caused by a sluggish worker, paperwork building up or stock not moving?
• Meet with your team. Regularly.
• Keep discussions informal and foster honest dialogue: raise questions and debate them, invite questions and draw the truth out.
• You will need to draw on emotional fortitude to accept different viewpoints even if you don't agree with them.
• Do not try to cover too much when you get together. Cultivate simplicity and focus on a short list of very clear priorities.
• Discuss the gap between goal and outcome, the place where things get done. Who will fill the gap, how and by when?
• End each discussion with closure. Make your team accountable by having each person confirm what they will do and when.
• Regularly review progress and link rewards to performance. Your reward system must be transparent, honest and fair.
• And be firm with those who aren't performing. You may need to find them a more suitable role, or let them go.

When dealing with people, be personally involved and remember the 'soft stuff' (people's beliefs, concerns and passions) is as important as the hard stuff of goals, strategies and results.

However, don't set your sights so high on a harmonious culture that it affects your business. Harmony can be superficial: you don't want unexpressed negativity to sap the vitality of your business. So unearth conflicts and resolve them.  You can't be a detached or remote business owner. You need to 'show up' and set the tone of your business. Showing that you get things done, that you relate well to others, and that you are committed to the business will cascade down through your people.

These ideas came to us from the book, Execution by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan.

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 Stress Relief

As you probably know, a certain amount of stress is good. Without stress we wouldn't get out of bed in the morning...

However, too much stress is not good. Unreleased stress builds up until it becomes distress. Then you have a problem. Distress can cause you to make hasty, unwise decisions in your business, it can cause volatile relationships with others, and long-term distress is likely to manifest as serious health problems.

What you need to do then, at the end of every day, is release any built up stress.

Here's a story along these lines...One day a lecturer was talking to his students about stress management. To make a point, he raised a glass of water and said, "How heavy do you think this glass of water is?" The students answers ranged from 20gms to 500gms.

The lecturer replied, "It doesn't matter about the exact weight. What matters is how long you hold it. If I hold this glass of water for a minute, it's okay. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. And if I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. The weight has not changed, but the longer I hold it, the 'heavier' it becomes."

The lecturer then placed the glass back down and said, "If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later we will not be able to carry on. The burden becomes increasingly heavier. What you have to do is put the glass down and rest for a while before picking it up again."

So, to be refreshed and able to carry on, we have to periodically put the burden down. Before you go home today, put the 'glass' - whatever burden you are carrying - down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up again tomorrow.

Try this: think about the load you  are carrying on your shoulders right now. Feel the weight of it. Now inhale, consciously drop your shoulders as you slowly exhale, and release the load. Gaze out the window, or at the wall if you don't have a window and relax for a moment or two.

When you are ready, pick up the load again and carry on. You may find that it feels just a little bit lighter.

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 Laugh-a-Lot

Here's why laughing a lot can help you run a successful business...

Emotions spread like viruses. However, they don't all spread with the same ease. While it's hard to 'catch' irritability, cheerfulness and warmth spread easily, and smiles and laughter are particularly contagious. Hearing laughter, we automatically smile or laugh ourselves (think of a baby's chortle and you'll know what I mean). In a work setting, laughter creates a spontaneous reaction that spreads throughout the group.

Now, you can apitalise on knowing this because feeling good - and smiling and laughing make us feel good - lubricates mental efficiency. This means your people will be better at understanding information, making complex judgments and taking action. And you can use smiles and laughter to help get your team in an upbeat mood to boast...

• Cooperation,
• Fairness, and
• Performance.

The sound of laughter offers a sure sign that their hearts as well as their minds are engaged.

So when you help your people feel good, they help you by working at their best.

Remember, you don't have to be the court jester. All you have to do is use laughter easily and freely. (Ideas from Daniel Goleman & others who have authored books on emotional intelligence).

 

__________________________________________________Quote of the Month________________________________

The first step toward saving time...is to find out how you've been spending it.

William Ruchti, US Management Association

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