If you’ve reached a fork in the road, perhaps resulting from the wisdom of age or the results of a challenging economy, answering those questions can help. They can direct a lifetime of small decisions, making sure you follow your own compass toward a destination of personal fulfillment, pride and success (however you choose to define that word).

Here’s an example.  About 20 years ago, I walked away from a truly great job to begin my first entrepreneurial venture.  In the months after that change, I noticed a tremendous personal shift. All the elements of my former life were gone: the suits, the private office, the support employees who handled everything, the paid health insurance and vacations, the expense account meals at great restaurants, the glamour and credibility conferred on me by my famous employer – all gone.

In my new life as an artist, I’d taken a complete departure from my prior career.  I was in a new industry in which I had no experience, no influence or track record.  Now, I thought I’d handled all the right ingredients before making this life-changing shift:

• I knew that my business idea was good
• I knew how to expertly craft my product
• I had 12 year’s excellent business experience managing a multi-million-dollar division
• I was secure with my business education

Never the less, there were some critical things I didn’t have.  It took me a long time to recognize the value of all I’d left behind; how fundamental they were to my sense of self and how they’d provided my ‘fit’ in the working world’s hierarchy.  I’d never really thought about these things before.  As I later understood, professional pride, accomplishment and credibility had been conferred on me with a business card and a title.   Where would I find these resources again in a start-up with no name recognition?

This experience taught me a lot about transitions.  While you often plan the logistics of change, that’s not the most important thing when you need your plan to enrich your life rather than cause stress. What’s often left out of deliberations is self-awareness: understanding your strengths, priorities and the personal needs you must fulfill.

Another aspect you tend to ignore when moving on is the environment you’re leaving behind.  Think about how you respond to the stimulus of a new environment, whether due to a changed industry, level of responsibility, a move to a new community – all those elements that shaped your former familiar day may now be gone.

These changes can have an enormous impact on how easily you adapt and get comfortable with your new situation. And that may determine the enthusiasm with which you undertake your new life or business. It will affect your belief this was the right change for you.

Obviously then, there’s a huge emotional component that goes into considering and executing a life change.  The key is to acknowledge and address the intangible elements that are important to you.  Include them in your deliberation of change to determine how critical they are as you step toward what’s next for you.

If impending change is cornering the market in your brain right now, consider joining 60 small business owners who are doing it in a big way and getting marvelous support and feedback from their peers. You can get the system (and it’s all free) right here. Here’s to happy change!

I dislike that phrase, as I dislike all cliches used to encourage a sale without understanding the real benefit to the prospect. Does the marketer behind these messages know what level you’re at now? Does s/he know if you’ve just arrived at a challenging level and you’re exploring how to expand its effectiveness? Or maybe you just want to enjoy what you’ve achieved and coast for a while (by the way – that’s perfectly o.k.; sometimes you want to maintain the status quo to discover all its facets or just feel sure you can handle that new level before moving up again). And nirvana: What if you’ve reached the level of business ownership you consider heaven and hope it never changes?

The point is, this kind of marketing message is encouraging you to act before you think; act on a recommendation that guarantees someone else will make money without having any idea (really) if you will; come on – does a marketer with a product to sell know what’s relevant for you or your business? Yet too often they want you to act without encouraging you to compare, assess and choose. Maybe it’s because if you take those steps, you’ll make a choice that’s better for you than it is for them.  Huh – interesting.

And that’s the power of looking (or thinking) before you leap, as mom would say. Never assume that because ‘it’ worked for someone you admire that the same ‘it’ will work for you. Not every opportunity is the right one for your priorities; not every opportunity comes at the right time given the context of your current initiatives and goals. Always take the time to consider your priorities, resources and the plan you’re working now before shifting your attention to the next shout out from an enthused marketer. Need to strengthen your resolve to achieve the goals you’ve already committed to, no matter what shiny object flies your way? Check this out, (carefully) my gift to you.

No doubt, trying a new direction or tool for your business can be unnerving. And if you don’t have a team of advisors, a mentor or coach to support you, you’ve got another power house asset that’ll take care of this. I’m talking about your attitude and how it guides your behavior every day.

Just think: how often do you get side-tracked from your own priorities because you start to second guess your plans or your ability to follow through? Do you take a little vacation into the maze of Facebook? What happens when a colleague’s story of defeat in an endeavor similar to your own creeps over your plans? Do you become paralyzed with inaction? Or you get wrapped up in other people’s emergencies and, let’s face it, their nonsense; there goes your positive attitude! And there goes your carefully scheduled day to move forward and just like that, tomorrow’s ‘to do’ list will have yesterday’s plans still on it.

Questioning your own priorities and letting them get hijacked will end in frustration. That emotion will reinforce your suspicion: “I can’t do this”. The more that happens, the more your dream of the ideal life from a great business will slip away. Try this small, low-tech experiment; it’ll give you a ‘reality check’ to see how well your attitude guides you each day:

1. Write down or revisit the annual goals to which you committed earlier this year, both personal and business.
2. Spend a moment envisioning them as if they’ve been achieved. What’s the impact for you? How will your life change? Feel the emotional impact of this achievement.
3. Now do the reverse and imagine this: you fail; your goals are not achieved. That great impact you envisioned has been lost. How do you feel with this as your reality?
4. Now – write down the activities in which you typically engage, week to week; all of it – the mundane, the unexpected changes, the favors you do for others, the volunteer tasks you accept, the solitaire, online shopping, and so on. How much time are you actually spending working towards your seriously important goals?  Less than 40% of your time?

You already are aware of this aren’t you? But now that you’ve had a dose of the ‘what if I fail’ scenario and the ‘I can’t wait to enjoy this’ scenario, you’ve had a strong kick in your biggest asset – your attitude. The direct link between your activities and the personal meaning of your intended results is stronger than any bowl of Wheaties to keep you focused and going; that attitude boost is just 4 short steps away.

This is the classic set of leaps described by Micheal Gerber in ‘The E-Myth Revisited.’ If you can’t make the shift from birthing a product to birthing a business, it may be time to consider engaging a CEO who can focus on the vision while you focus on the operations. A business can’t survive and thrive with only a product. The whole context – the business in which that product is developed and sold, the environment which creates the brand recognized by your marketplace, and the values that define you – becomes critical. If you’re all about ‘the great idea’ and not the home in which the great idea is nurtured and launched, it’s time to move on to the next one.

However, if you’re up for the challenge there’s one key ingredient you must have to make this work every time: your mindset.

The excitement and fast pace of a new enterprise makes it difficult for you to keep your mind on the bigger picture; you become knee deep in the daily details. Sometimes, you can get stuck there and the ‘company environment’ has to fend for itself, getting no guidance from you. And that’s a real problem because each time a customer deals with someone in your enterprise, they may have a completely different experience. Or 2 people who work for you may have differing ideas about how to handle a common problem. Or 3 people who handle a similar function may all believe different elements take priority; wow – what a tug of war that can create!

Before you start pulling out your hair, consider this: keep the big picture in mind always and answer these questions:

• Why am I in business?
• Why this business?
• What do I want people to say about my business?
• What do I want this business to contribute to others?
• What do I want this business to produce for me?
• How will I best apply my strengths daily?
• How will everything else get handled?
• What’s the one characteristic every team member should possess to be a great fit?

Answer all these questions – honestly, you’re not getting a quiz – and your hair-pulling days will end; you’ll have all the answers you need to build your ideal enterprise and a beautiful head of hair.

Well, no wonder he asked the question! Here’s a guaranteed way to enjoy real results from business networking, whether you’re doing it via social media or face to face: always express interest in the other person (in this, as in virtually everything else, Mom is right!) Doing so nets you 3 great results:

1. The other person will believe that you’re genuinely interested in what they have to say (as you should be).
2. The other person’s remarks will give you insight into their situation and whether you or someone you know (that’s networking, too) is in a position to offer assistance.
3. The other person’s remarks will give you insight into whether you know others for whom this person could be the ideal provider.

As a result of asking first, you gain 3 powerful benefits that can possibly expand your relationships with 3 different networking partners: the person you’ve just met, the person they’re able to assist, the person who you can refer, able to assist them.

How do you score this admirable result? Ask some simple questions (in all cases, avoid politics, sex, religion); here are samples:

- How do you happen to be here tonight; are you a member?
- Tell me about your business; how’d you get into this field?
- I’ve read about your industry; what is the biggest challenge you’re dealing with?
- What do you most enjoy about your role every day?
- I’ve read about your industry; did you see the recent article in X publication?

These are all open questions, encouraging conversation, beginning the “trust, know and like” factor for possible future business and creating a relationship that can bring referrals your way. It’s all genuine, it’s all smart and it’s where the power of networking truly lies. So, are business networking events worth your time or investment? Absolutely, as long as you DO invest your time!

Ironically, becoming the least important person to your daily routine is the most important thing you can achieve. This doesn’t mean you’ve got no role to play. This means that when you’ve put systems and people in place to manage your daily operations, you can turn your attention to future opportunities, growing your business instead of responding to sales and customers you’ve already acquired. And that’s where you also increase the value of your enterprise because you’ve shifted its emphasis from you as the chief, cook and bottle washer to the business itself. And this will show up for you in smoother operations, consistent experiences for your customers, faster training of new team members, less risk of losing company wisdom if someone leaves, and best of all, fewer people interrupting you when you’re deep in the entrepreneurial zone of creativity.

The way to achieve this is by applying a 2nd concept, that of servant leadership. In this role, you’ve made sure that all who assist in keeping things moving forward for you – suppliers, virtual assistants, designers, marketers, partners or other employees – have everything they need to make it happen. That would include training, tools, written procedures, goals, encouragement, communications and the incentives to do tasks with the degree of excellence justifying your choice to delegate the daily routine.

See how nicely this all works together? So now, when you say with pride “I own the place” it will be because you set your ego aside for the bigger rewards – time, money and well deserved pride – gained by your choice to become the least important person in your business. Sounds pretty important to 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.

Want to know how to write compelling copy that’s easy for your prospects and customers to read?

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).

I take a different perspective here.  Since your employee is actually a whole human being, try to select the whole person (thinking process, behavioral style, experience, personal preferences, communication skills and values are all part of their success factors) with the greatest match to both the job and company environment.  Therefore, in order to find the best fit, first be clear about what the job needs to be done well. Be up-front about the general environment or company attitude. Once on board, it’s up to the visionaries and managers to ensure the reality matches the promise. There’s no point recruiting for heaven and then delivering hell (there’s a great joke here and if you want to hear it, and learn how to maximize a hugely under used business asset, attend the breakfast workshop “Stop Doing and Start Delegating”, 11/2; details here).

I think there’s a simple distinction employers need to make in order to get this right: you’re not hiring a bundle of skills, you’re hiring a whole human being when you engage an employee. Once that reality is accepted, there are 3 primary ways to leverage the opportunity represented by your team:

• Include in your sought characteristics more than skills, training and experience; include behavioral type and values that will fit with your company environment, presumably one that appreciates its PEOPLE and not just their SKILLS or CREDENTIALS – big difference.
• Nurture an environment in which employees come to see that success on the job will lead to advancement in their PERSONAL goals; more than almost any other company improvement, this encourages process improvements, innovative suggestions, enhanced productivity and the beginnings of a team environment. Obviously, there are lots of ways this can be done through the physical environment, access to resources, training opportunities, public acknowledgement and rewards, benefits or policies that affect your team’s families, etc.
• Use well-crafted PERFORMANCE REVIEWS to establish pay and reward through co-created goals. Abolish holiday bonuses that are connected to nothing except a calendar. (Am I  being clear? This is money down the drain and requires nothing from your employee in exchange.)

Wouldn’t this be nice? In my dreams! In yours, too?  If you’re local and want me to provide your breakfast (yes – and networking), take me up on this invitation. Not able to attend? Well, you can always call me for the right help; coffee’s up to you…

We all work and live in an environment of some kind – light, temperature, furnishings and equipment may create a sense of our physical environment. In your workplace, you create a culture with every decision and policy that’s created; these convey what it might be like to do business with you, to work for you, to partner with you.  Here are just two ways culture affects your business success.

When engaging potential employees, too often employers neglect to look at the soft skills (behavioral style, attitude, values, interests) in favor of the hard skills (training, experience, education, references).  Of course, the repercussions can be felt when 6 months along the line, it becomes obvious that the employee is not fitting in. What they’re not fitting into is the company culture.  Interestingly,  the ‘culture’ itself is an element worth acknowledging. Yet too many take it for granted as simply ‘the way we do things around here’ and don’t recognize that what’s intuitive to an ‘old timer’ is not at all to a new recruit. This is even harder if your team is virtual and has even fewer cues about the norms you assume everyone working for you should understand.

A new employee may have done ‘things’ very differently in the past or may prefer a different style of environment in which to thrive and be productive.  For example, some companies are rigid and formal, maintaining strict protocols, complete ‘paper trails’, chain of command to keep things moving (or not); all who work there have to do so within this structure.  If an employee is accustomed or more responsive to a flexible, free wheeling, creative, brain storming environment, it’s very likely that person will either fail completely or, at best, diminish her/his ability to be productive, innovative and collaborative. They may feel left out and you may think they’re odd.

Another way in which culture presents itself is with you – the owner. As an example: you may have developed a pattern of being completely responsible to your business’ needs and have sacrificed other life arenas: family, health,  social responsibility, personal growth, fun, travel, spiritual community, etc.  Since employees will naturally take their cues on appropriate behavior from the leader, they’ll assume similar behavior is what’s sought if they want to succeed on the job.  In fact, this may cause resentment, diminished productivity and absenteeism among employees who would otherwise thrive in an environment that respects them as whole people and not just a bundle of skills that sits at a desk 8 hours a day.

Understanding the impact of culture at your company and nurturing one that meets your business goals will ensure that employees expectations with ‘the way we do it around here’ will be consistent with what will make them effective members of your company. These are just 2 ways company culture is critical.  It pervades the general reputation of your business and becomes part of the experience expected by vendors, customers and partners.  It can be part of your marketing campaign or crafted to be consistent with the reputation and qualities of your products.  Regardless of how it’s used, as in all things, awareness is the first step to success; no less than superior products and policies, an environment is an asset you can cultivate to help achieve your goals for success in business.