Do you show business leadership in challenging times through a robot-like focus on your own work (and an expectation that your members team will do the same)? Or can you get better results from your team with honesty and a bit of emotional intelligence? I’m for the latter.

My recommended reading for this week includes a column by Rick Spence in the Financial Post called “You Can Still Win in a Slow Economy”. One of his suggestions:

“Keep it real: employees will rarely go the extra mile for leaders who are all logic and no emotion. Share what the new economic realities mean for you personally. Let your guard down; be human.”

I totally agree. While many of us are seeing a turnaround in 2010, memories of 2009’s economic troubles are not far from my thoughts. It was a tough time for many of us, and our teams of employees, subcontractors and partners were not immune to fear and confusion about the future. They needed leadership more than ever at that time.

I’ve always been an emotionally intuitive person and the crisis brought that out even more. I was very up-front and honest with the people I worked with. I reassured them as best I could. I told them the plan we had for getting through the tough times. 

I felt I had to be honest and let them know that there were no guarantees, and even the experts weren’t sure where the overall business climate was going long-term. But I was honest about the risks we were facing – and I was facing personally, as the owner of my business. I answered questions about the steps we were taking to maintain and potentially even grow the business in difficult times. 

My colleagues and partners understood the situation, felt I understood their perspective and knew that I was doing everything I could to keep things on an even keel. They felt appreciated and “in the loop” – and seemed to be able to focus better on their work.

Particularly in tough times, leaders need to be able to reassure their people. But show you’re human and share their concerns. Help them understand that you’re just as motivated as they are to solve the challenges you face together.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

Some say leadership is about being able to motivate. Others say it’s about being decisive. But the one thing that all leaders need is the strength of confidence. How do you get that confidence? Well, having a sense of structure helps.

How do you get that structure? It’s not rocket science (Though maintaining good habits can be tricky). Here a few suggestions you can implement today:

1. Use a calendar. I’m still amazed by the number of entrepreneurs I meet who can’t consistently track their appointments and routines. Don’t be like that.

2. Track your time. Use a basic spreadsheet to track how you’ve used your time over at least a two-week period. When you review it, you’ll have a better idea of how to structure your efforts and where some activities might be made more efficient.

3. Use and record processes. Whether you’re working with contracts, budgets, or more creative projects, having repeatable processes boosts long-term productivity.

4. Use agendas for every meeting. Adding a sense of structure to meetings will help you get more accomplished and your clients will appreciate it.

5. Keep your work-space free of clutter. Processes and good habits help you get your mind straight, but having a physical sense of structure will augment that.

One organizing system I teach my entrepreneurial clients to get structure in their work and their lives is the GO System. People around you will notice when you are organized and structured. That’s not all that it takes to be a leader (I’ve known plenty of receptionists and assistants in non-leadership roles who used all of the habits described above), but without it, it’s harder to be taken seriously as the head of the pack.

Taking the time to implement this system allows for fewer details to be trifled with daily and allows you more time, energy and concentration to deal with problems as they arise.

Give the gift of confidence to yourself and others.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

I gave a talk a week ago in Seattle to the Women’s Political Caucus. One of the women in the group asked me how to handle challenging situations. Everything from politically charged situations through to politics in the workplace. I shared with her that in order to dominate in these two arenas, you need to ‘control timing’ and ‘know your end game’. Time is what has the biggest impact on a challenging situation. You need to control the pace at which something rolls out and consider if moving quickly or slowly serves your best purposes and focus on what is most important to you. Here’s what i would recommend as a step-by-step process:

1. Look at the situation from outside your experience. Objectively what is happening?
2. What are the selfish interests of all parties involved?
3. Does is make sense for you to draw it out, or deal with it quickly and get it off your plate?
4. What is the one thing you need to have happen to make it a ‘win’ for you?
5. Focus on getting that ‘win’ and match the tempo of your efforts to support that ‘win’.
6. Measure and manage the process and adjust accordingly.

I see people rushing into things that they should be walking into slowly and people dragging their feet on things they could deal with quickly, but instead decide to drag it out. You can’t control how people will act, but you can control interaction. I’ll be doing more ‘business case’ posts in upcoming submission so show you the practical application to this.

Best,

Chris.

www.GhostCEO.com

It’s not always possible to get through the latest messages in your inbox. Sometimes you have to focus on the work at hand. Then again, procrastinating with responses to email and phone messages doesn’t do you or your customer any favors.

I set aside some time each day to respond to messages. Over time, my clients have gotten the message that I value their business. Even if I can’t get back to them the same day, they know that their communication has gotten through and they won’t need to corner someone to get a response. Even better, longstanding clients have often improved their own response times.

There are key habits to help you provide role-model type behavior for organized communications:

1. Use email filters to help sort your incoming messages, prioritize them and avoid wasting time on spam.

2. These days, many businesses like publicize a range of other ways for customers to contact you, like Skype or Twitter. Even if customers can initially contact you through those means, it’s often easier to respond by picking up a phone or jotting off an email. Get a feel for what your clients prefer to use to communicate, but if you have a preference, you should make that clear to reduce stress from your side.

3. Think about responding to email messages with a phone call. A call can often feel more warm and personal than an email and also allow for better communication. Rather than sending emails back and forth all day, a five-minute conversation can help speed things along remarkably fast.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

Some entrepreneurs feel like they have to make a show of the amount of work they’re doing in order to impress clients. They want to give the impression that they can handle client requests 24/7. As well, they may feel that appearing to be over-booked will leave the customer with a favorable impression (“If everyone else is giving this person business, they must be doing something right. I’m hiring them!”).

There’s a problem with this way of thinking: unless you’re the CEO of a company with many employees and sophisticated client management infrastructure, you can’t realistically be on call at all times. And giving the impression that you’re busy with clients all the time can actually be counterproductive in winning new business – prospective customers may be given the impression that you’ll be too busy to handle their needs.

Setting reasonable limits such as publicizing your business hours helps give an impression that you and your employees are enjoying a healthy work-life balance. For most types of business, there’s really no need to be taking care of your clients at 2 am.

Don’t run yourself ragged. Set an example for your colleagues and clients. It won’t just make you look good – you’ll actually be able to take better care of your business tasks successfully without getting overwhelmed. Set limits, stick by them and keep doing what you do the best way you can.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

Green is a Spring color, so it makes sense to reevaluate some of your processes with a thought to the environment. It’s easy for you to take actions that will make you a role model for mixing good business practices and sustainable habits. Here are some green organizing tips:

1. Reduce the amount of paper you use. Many businesses are taking advantage of the storage space on hard drives, memory sticks and servers to go entirely paperless. Businesses using applications like Google Docs can keep paper clutter and the need for physical storage space to an absolute minimum.

2. Re-use stuff. Keep track of where everything is and stick to maintenance schedules. If you can even get a few months more usage out of equipment or furniture, you’re saving time and money.

3. Recycle. It’s often very cost effective and convenient to start up recycling programs for paper, bottles and other items. Electronics can be recycled as well. There could even be some dollars in it for you if you can sell items or get a tax receipt.

Companies that go green set a good example for their employees, partners and clients. Get recognized for this, boost your image and increase efficiency.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

You can imagine how challenging my business would be if I started missing appointments and leaving a trail of clutter in my wake. In my line of business as a professional organizer, it would be very easy for my clients to notice if I wasn’t following my own professional advice.

Of course, any business will benefit from setting a good example by being organized. The place to start is with your work space, whether that’s at an office or an area in your own home. As I’ve written previously about keeping an organized space:

I talk about a 5 step process of creating S.P.A.C.E., using Sort, Purge, and Assign as measures of taking inventory of all your possessions before concentrating your time and money on finding ways to Contain your precious goods and information for ease of access and retrieval. Evaluate your space in terms of creating function and form – getting your space to work for you.

Feng Shui principles can certainly help with this effort. You want your space to allow for flow of movement and energy. A cubicle and chair is about the worst kind of layout you can imagine – try to be creative and think about how you want to interact with your environment. Avoid sharp edges, use softening elements and maximize light and air flow.

Take care of this and when clients come for meetings, they will appreciate seeing an orderly and organized space. You’ll leave an impression of organization effortlessly.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

Many entrepreneurs make the mistake of attempting to reinvent the wheel. One essential business best practice is keeping an eye on the competition – actually, your biggest potential competitor – and learning from them. After all, the aim of many businesses is not just to be a player, but to be the leader.

A good example of the approach comes from the founders of Shirtpal, recently profiled in the Globe and Mail for their fast-growing success as a custom tailors. They followed this best practice right from the beginning, focusing on the industry leader, Maxwell:

Maxwell’s makes two cross-Canada trips a year. Owner Andy Maxwell creates makeshift storefronts in hotel conference roMaxwell’s makes two cross-Canada trips a year. Owner Andy Maxwell creates makeshift storefronts in hotel conference rooms where customers can choose from 5,000 fabric swatches, eight collar styles and five cuff styles, among other options. After measurements by Hong Kong tailors who accompany Mr. Maxwell, customers wait about 10 weeks for their new threads to arrive in the mail. oms where customers can choose from 5,000 fabric swatches, eight collar styles and five cuff styles, among other options. After measurements by Hong Kong tailors who accompany Mr. Maxwell, customers wait about 10 weeks for their new threads to arrive in the mail.

The Shirtpal people adopted the basic model along with a few refinements to create a competitive edge.

Soon, they were on their way to developing a business with real potential to dominate on their own terms.

Do your market research in an organized way, ensuring that you keep good records of changing trends in the industry as new leaders emerge. Schedule time to review the data and make sure you set aside time to conduct a real analysis.

Of course, as a business grows, the reason for checking out the competition is a bit different – it’s more about staying on top. But once you’ve reached the point where you’re trying to figure out how to remain on top, that’s a nice problem to have.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

Cooking shows are as addictive to watch as they are tantalizing. What’s easily missed, among the chopping, dicing and slicing is the constant clean up and maintenance of the workspace. They’re always moving! By taking a few moments during the preparation of a dish to re-sharpen knives, or clear away clutter, the chef is focused and prepared to get into the action with less hassle.

This is also a best practice for owners and employees, whether you are doing at your office (or home office, for that matter). Stay organized and keep moving and you’ll get better results.

In Twyla Harp’s landmark book The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life, she discusses a writer who believed there was a mental correlation between cleaning his room, and arranging his brain. While possible, Harp was convinced it was not just the idea of organizing that helped him focus but rather the physical movement and action involved that helped direct his efforts.

Fitting in three to five minutes to focus on your breath and fill up with nourishing oxygen, helps feed muscles tensed under the strain of thinking, and allows your brain to take a minute to replenish its focus for a fresh return to the task at hand. When you take breaks, stand and stretch while you organize your space or deal with files. Or perhaps take a walk over the lunch break while you strategize a business initiative. The idea is to keep moving.

There are innumerable websites with effective office exercises to be perused and sampled until you find a set that works for you. In your off-time, take meditation classes, yoga instruction or even arts like Tai Chi, that are very portable and only require a little space and a bit of privacy.

One last thing: encourage your employees to keep moving at work. Joining a friend, or starting a little group at the office, can open up more than just your mind to working harder, it can help develop better relationships.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

What do air traffic controllers, pilots, surgeons, real estate agents and many successful business owners all have in common? They all use checklists to ensure that they do the job right every single time.

As a means of ensuring quality control, reducing errors and improving productivity, there are few best practices that match the results of adopting the humble checklist.

I use checklists to keep track of tasks that need to be completed throughout the day. I use them in meetings to ensure that I cover everything and don’t have to follow up unnecessarily. I use them when I’m delivering consulting services. And I use them a lot when I’m preparing to deliver a presentation, since nothing gives you confidence like knowing you’re prepared.

Checklists aren’t just great for personal productivity. Put a checklist up on a big white board at the office and remind the team of objectives they need to accomplish as an organization. Or keep checklists by pieces of equipment that employees may only use once in a while and reduce wait times as they follow the simple list to get stuff done faster.

Now, for your first checklist, make a list of three things you’ve been avoiding doing in order of business priority (not order of difficulty). Commit yourself to following through and get them done today.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca