To some, one of the perks of  business ownership is the opportunity to puff up with self-importance; “I own the place” can be pride or ego talking. Feeling necessary to the daily procedures, that “this place would fall apart without me” or holding tight control because you fear ‘no one will do as good a job as I will’  is not pride, it’s ego pampering. And not only is it not serving your highest intentions, it’s not serving your business. Read more…

A great lesson taught by the very brilliant and much missed Thomas Leonard, often considered the founder of professional coaching, is that the present is perfect. Not an easy concept to accept yet this is how it works for me: when I try to make improvements on a situation, longing for what it could be, I miss the opportunity to gain simply by being in it, learning from it here, NOW.  When I try to hurry through a tedious task, to get to the next, preferred activity, I compromise that task, right in front of me, which is getting only partial attention from me.

Make sense?  You can’t get to that next ‘there‘ without being ‘here‘ first, now. And this ‘now’ moment may have something to say that will add to the next moment and so on.

Every moment, every encounter, every thought, every loss, disappointment, person and situation – they are all perfect in what you can gain from them now and nowhere else again. Despite what may be difficult, even tragic, somewhere is the opportunity for growth.

As we move into the last 6 weeks of 2011, don’t neglect to celebrate all you’ve achieved, attempted and added to the lives of those who work with you and count on you. You’ve provided many perfect moments for others; you have many to leverage for yourself. You deserve to feel great about changes you’ve made and continue to make to achieve the business – and life – of your dreams!

As I give thanks for the perfect opportunities you’ve contributed through feedback and participation, and my own birthday celebration last Tuesday, I’m offering a gift, either for you or a friend who would benefit, through December 15th, 2011: 60% off all e-programs (Win with Your Hidden Assets, The KEY to Your Success, 30 Day Challenge to More Free Time, 8.5 Ways to Out-Compete Your Competition) and free shipping on my book, Time Junkie. You can find them all by clicking on their names, above.

Enjoy an abundant Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends and many more perfect moments.

Have you seen the t.v. ad for a well known orange juice producer that lets a customer reach through the grocer’s shelf right through to the orchard? The shopper reaches for a container of juice, and feeling around, they pick a perfect orange from the grove. When their hand comes back, they’re holding a container of juice. How is this like biz ownership? Well, sometimes we assume the recruitment of a new employee means a new bundle of skills is on board and available for plucking just as we’d like – all the pulp removed.  If only the employer would realize they’ve hired a whole human being who brings along dreams, quirks, regret, fears and attitudes as well!

Every other kind of relationship we seem able to develop with a natural rhythm. But when it comes to business, somehow an owner or supervisor seems to think they can just pluck the necessary skills, experience and productive behaviors from the heads of new or seasoned recruits and avoid the rest.  Not only is this impossible, it’s also a great loss for the employer who could otherwise garner loyalty, creativity, expanded points of view and the opportunity for faster growth and efficiencies (plus a smarter grasp of reality). Read more…