Within the Chinese meaning for the word  ‘crisis’  there are two symbols, the symbol for danger and the symbol for opportunity.

The current state of play for business owners locally and in the wider national and international market place is turbulent to say the least. There are challenges on many levels some of which include:

• Rapidly changing market place
• Job losses (high unemployment in SA)
• Disruptive technology
• Global economic instability
• Environmental challenges (global warming)
• Changes in consumer behaviours and expectations

These challenges and the myriad more that business owners are dealing with every day can all add up to major STRESS. At the same time even in these turbulent times there are some business leaders who continue to excel and thrive.

If you’re already thriving, you can continue to expand on your current success and if you’re currently struggling you can use these principles to help you re-focus in a positive way to start making steps towards positive change.
The process of turning challenging times into opportunity through creativity starts with adopting an attitude of becoming an active Positive Change Maker, embracing the fact that change is inevitable; death, taxes, change.

The waves of change that are washing over the world are highly likely to keep coming for the foreseeable future. In order to adapt and thrive high performance business leaders choose to learn to surf.

What does learning to surf the waves of change look like in practical terms?

This article touches on 4 key things that high performance business leaders do differently to the average, low or no performance business owner.

#1 Know your purpose

As a business leader it’s vital that you know why you’re in the business you’re in and that your BIG WHY is strong enough and clear enough to help you push through the challenges you face along the way.Are you in the right business for you? Is it a labour of love? If your heart’s not in it, it’s likely to just be a very long labour that will wear you down and quite likely burn you out over time.
Your business doesn’t need to be sexy for you to love it, it only matters that you are actually passionate about it, that you care about doing what your business does consistently well. If you don’t actually care about delivering a genuinely valuable product or service for your clients, and delivering a product or service that meets a real need and services a demand, the chances of survival in an increasingly tight and competitive market place are slim to none.

If your heart’s not in it, if you don’t really care you might need to think about how you can rework things to align your business with what actually matters most to you and best serves the real needs and wants of your customers/clients.

Make sure that what you’re working for is lined up with your own personal and professional definition of success.

Assuming now you’re in the right business for you, a business that you care about wholeheartedly –

#2 Know your strengths – and play to them.

Do more of what you do best.

As a business leader there are things you do brilliantly that come quite naturally to you. Often times business owners start off in business inspired and doing what they do best but over time they become bogged down in the daily grind, trying to do everything them self or trying to be everything to everyone, being overly responsible, over committed with so many things to deal with and do, that we’re not actually focused on the part that we actually do best.
High performing business owners, continually come back to doing what they do best, and as soon as they’re possibly able to, they delegate the rest.

What are your strengths? And are you playing to them?

#3 Be a Pro-active Problem Solver

High performance business leaders don’t stick their head in the sand.
When something isn’t working they are quick to identify that there is a problem, work out the source of the problem or the nature of the problem and then find and implement a solution.
What’s not working in your business currently?
What are you biggest repetitive challenges?
Take the time to review your operations, identify problems (can be helped by bringing in fresh eyes), frustrations and challenges, understand the true nature of the problem, you need to define the real problem, then actively explore the possible solutions, decide what you’re going to do differently and then do it.

Implementation of solutions once identified are KEY.
The speed of implementation of new information, ideas, decisions, technology, systems, equipment, procedures, new people etc is the difference between a fast growth high performance company and a slow growth or no growth company.

#4 Build an eco system of support

Seek Quality Help, support and information.
High performance business leaders build high performance teams.
High performance internal teams – you need great people on your team who understand and care about your BIG WHY and actively work to support and help you realise your vision.
High performance external support team and networks – Consultants, coaches, advisors, contract business support services, mentors, high performance peers, accountability partnerships, mastermind groups etc.
High performance business leaders surround themselves with formal and informal relationships that are designed to support them in learning, growing and reaching their goals. They actively seek to identify what they don’t yet know (blind spots) and what isn’t working through gaining quality feedback in order to identify opportunities for improvement and find new solutions. They are active learners.
Low, slow or no growth business owners often try to do it all themselves and not ask for help. They think they should know it all, don’t trust others to do it as well as they can do it them self, feel they don’t have the time or they don’t have the money etc. Some of these objections are valid challenges to be addressed and overcome, some thing’s are just excuses to stay in the familiar comfort zone and not reach out for help for fear of being vulnerable.
Being willing to build supportive relationships, invest in quality support and advice and actively seek quality help at every stage of development is a common trait among high performance business leaders. They know that they don’t know everything, and even when they know A LOT they always know that there is more to know and that they can’t and don’t want to do it all themselves. They are committed to a collaborative, team building and creative approach.
High performance business leaders have the same 24 hours in each day that every low or average performance business owner have.
Your success as a high performance business leader is in knowing how to focus and direct your energy and attention in the time you have for best effect.
• Know your purpose,
• Play to your strengths,
• Be a pro active problem solver
• Build your team for success.
BONUS attribute of high performance business leaders

#5 Focus on what you can control.

Identify the small and big things that you can do to improve your business, take action on and implement
As opposed to giving your power away to the million and one things that are outside of your control, the economy, the government, the weather etc.
What one thing can you do today that will help you improve your business?
Write it down now and when you leave this page go do it or delegate it.

 

To know more contact Soli Goodes

0413 926 653 soli@businessgoddess.com.au