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

If you want to lead the way in your business, you’re going to have to cut back. Way back.

One of the first lessons an entrepreneur takes to heart is usually that they can’t do it all themselves. They need a team of people to make their dream happen. No one is an engineer, financial expert, marketing professional and receptionist all-in-one. You need to downsize your own contribution to focus on what you do well.

The procedure is roughly akin to what happens when my downsizing house-moving clients need to choose what to take with them to their new abode. They can’t take everything. But how do they choose? Based on utility? Size and space required? Cost that they bought it for (even if it has limited resale value)? Sentimental value? 

The choice for entrepreneurs is a lot easier, actually. Which of your responsibilities are providing real value for your business? Which might be done quicker, more efficiently and at less cost (considering that time is money) than if you did it yourself? These sorts of variables tend to be easier to measure quantitatively. 

Make a list to figure out where you can cut back or out-task and do it. There are only so many hours in the day and to be a leader in your field, you’ll need to focus on what you do best.

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

If you see your customers’ tastes changing, you have to adapt your product to the market – and do it quickly.

Small businesses with small budgets are often a lot better than billion-dollar big businesses at adapting to changing market tastes. Partly, that’s because large corporations sometimes find it easier to tell customers what they really want through expensive PR campaigns. This only lasts so long, though.

For an example of this is the Ford motor company. I was reading an article today entitled Ford targets Vancouver with smaller cars, describing how the world’s most famous motor company has enthusiastically started catering to today’s tastes for smaller, more cost-effective vehicles.

It sounds like a smart move, until you realize that their competitors were already doing this 10 years ago. In the meantime, Ford racked up tens of billions in debt and risked going out of business entirely during the recent recession.

Entrepreneurs must make sure they have a way of listening to their customers. Whether that’s through face-to-face contact, surveys or reliable statistics about your own sales as well as how the competition is doing, you must have “listening stations” in place. Listen, analyze and adapt to give your customers what they want.

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

I’ve always been loyal to my own brand. When I first started out in business, I had a bit of an edge over other kinds of entrepreneurs because I could make use of my own professional advice.

Right from the beginning, my home office has been organized so that I can instantly find and make use of any file, contact list or anything else I need in order to do my job. My calendar is filled and prioritized so I know exactly what I have to do from the start of the day. I’ve got great energy flow through my space. My business and home life are balanced. All of these things help me conduct my business in a streamlined and effective way.

My fellow entrepreneurs also do well when they make use of their own products and services. Nothing entices a potential customer like a business representative saying “I use this everyday” or “I’ve got three of these at home and all of my friends are using them”.

If you are finding that you or your employees are often going to competitors’ products or services rather than using your own, you need to fix the problem. Don’t just “ban” your people from using it. Give them incentives, like an employee discount or extra service, to meet their needs in-house. If that won’t cut it, you may need to start asking why the competitors’ offering is so superior and you may even have to modify your own offering.

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

Opportunities are only worthwhile if you act on them. Otherwise, they are like puffs of smoke – they just disappear into the sky. Too many times, I see business owners get presented with a great opportunity and instead of seizing it, she sits on it ‘because she’s not quite ready’ or she gives herself all the reasons why they won’t want to buy from her. And the opportunity turns out to be a big zero.

The key to success is to ACT ON THE OPPORTUNITIES AS THEY ARISE! Don’t procrastinate. Don’t put it off. If you want to grow your business, then act like it. Follow up on leads as they come in. Don’t worry about failing. Don’t hesitate because you are not exactly sure how things will turn out. The biggest difference between those who make a lot of money in business and those who don’t, is follow up. Successful people grab onto opportunities when they come along. even when they don’t know exactly how things will work out. So if you have been foot-dragging, make yourself a new rule to follow up on all the opportunities as they come along.

Fiona Walsh, CEO, FM Walsh & Associates Inc., www.fmwalsh.com

Ever been in the situation where you’ve called a sales prospect over and over with little or no response? We’ve all been there and we’ve impatiently written off the prospect as dead because we didn’t want to face another non responsive call.

Next time you are prospecting and this happens, think of this: its a well known fact that sales people give up on sales prospecting calls far too early. A few more calls and the sale is likely to be yours. Also consider the fact that being diligent in following up will prove your commitment to the sales process and gain respect from your prospective buyer.

With a little patience and perseverance that opportunity you are about to write off as dead could turn into a sale. Go dial that number, smile and think of the closing the deal. Here are some pointers that will help: 7 tips for turning cold calls into hot leads.

Fiona Walsh, CEO, FM Walsh & Associates Inc., www.fmwalsh.com

Whenever you’re hunting for new business opportunities it’s vitally important to stay curious. When you get attached or desperate, you lose all of your creative and intuitive powers. It’s like putting on a pair of blinders and heading out in to a forrest. You’ll never see anything but what’s right in front of you and therefore will miss over 270 degrees of view. Often times the most exciting opportunities are already in your life, it’s just that you haven’t noticed them in that way. When you turn on your right brain, get creative and innovative, and are curious about what opportunities are all around you – you start to notice things in a new way.

Take notice over the next week of your ability to remain curious and see what opportunities you can spot and furthermore hunt up.

All the best,

Heather White, CEO, 2020 Communications Inc