COBA Articles

Five Keys to Advancing Your Business in 2010

 
The newspaper of the Central Oregon Builders Association
VOLUME 10, Issue 1, January 2010

1. “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” Hall of fame basketball coach John Wooden reminds us that sometimes we put up barriers in front of us because we are so focused on the can’t do instead of the can do.  What is always more important is what you and I can do in those circumstances that face us.  Instead of focusing on the problem, we need to focus on the opportunity within the problem.   There is a lot we cannot control but we can control our response to those uncontrollable issues.  Your attitude determines your altitude.   2. “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.”   Robert Louis Stevenson had the right perspective on measuring success on a daily basis.  Seed sowing is the best litmus test.  I tell my clients that one deal or day doesn’t make or break us either way.  What makes the difference is what activity was done today to ensure a harvest in our business three, six even 12 months from now.   Too often we are “now” focused- which understandably is necessary if three, six or 12 months ago we weren’t sowing seeds for today. Daily seed sowing is better referred to as prospecting and is one of the essentials to growing business that most everyone neglects to place as a daily “non negotiable”.

3. Stay in Important Non Urgent Activity.   Steven Covey in his book 7 habits of highly successful people introduced us to the Four Activity Quadrants.  The quadrant that all business people need to spend most of their time in if they want to see consistent and sustainable growth is quadrant two (Important – non urgent) activity.  This is seed sowing activity: prospecting- business development- planning- system development to name a few. Interesting that this is the quadrant we so easily starve and delay because we are so “busy” working on other people’s urgencies or needless time wasters.    Farmers know all to well if they want to see a harvest in fall they need to start sowing seed in spring. Learn from them, Covey and Stevenson and start sowing seeds (in other words prospecting and other quadrant 2 activity) daily.  No matter what!  Don’t worry about the result only that you did it!   4. Plan to Advance and believe you can.   The first step to achieving a high goal is to believe you can achieve it. The next is to create your business plan that deals in specifics starting with your annual goal and then break that goal into monthly, weekly and finally a daily goal. The reason people fail to set large goals is they fail to see how to accomplish

The goal seems out of reach and unrealistic. If you break that goal into manageable bites (like eating an elephant) at a daily level and commit to seeing that daily goal happen, the likely hood of that annual goal realized is infinitely higher.  This is where #2 above comes in.   5. Report and measure your progress.   Most people that even get to the point of writing a business plan end up putting the plan in a drawer never to review it again. The planning exercise was futile and the individual is only slightly better off than if they had never completed the plan in the first place.  To make the plan a reality you must insert a reporting and measuring process where you measure the progress of your goals, beginning with your daily numbers. Implementation of the daily disciplines is critical.   You need to measure whether or not you are actually completing those tasks and activities. It is important that you report to someone else: a board of directors, mentor, accountability partner or coach. This will make the likelihood of your goal being accomplished a far greater reality than if you just try to “go it alone” with no measuring or reporting.   Best of luck in 2010 and plan to thrive even in this market. What matters most is what you are doing within the market not what the market is doing.    By Rich Rudnick

Change:  Ready or not - here it comes!

The newspaper of the Central Oregon Builders Association
VOLUME 9, Issue 6, June 2009

Have you noticed how the speed of change has kicked into hyper drive?  Not only is time flying, but so is change. There is probably no one who knows this more than Army Chief of Staff Shinseki who said it best:   “If you don’t like change you really are going to like irrelevance even less.”    Whether you and I like it or not, the economy, banking and financial industries, direction of this country, geopolitical map, communication and even viruses are changing at a rapid pace.   Every morning we wake up to a brand new world.  All of us individually, corporately as well as nationally and internationally have to deal with this phenomenon and must embrace and welcome change instead of resist it. We need to always be looking ahead to anticipate what shift might come to stay ahead of or with the change. If the change hits us with out warning, we must go with the flow, excel in versatility and stay positive.   If we don’t adjust with change and instead resist it and cop a negative attitude and critical spirit (even if the change is not a good one) we will become

irrelevant and insignificant.  One key aspect with this speed of change is it takes no prisoners: only new passengers or casualties.   This doesn’t mean we must accept every change hook line and sinker. If it is a change that needs to be stopped or doesn’t align with our core values; we must seek the best way to “change” the direction. The key is choose to like and embrace change and avoid irrelevance.   While all of this change is taking place, you need to make sure you and your team are up for the challenge and opportunity that change always brings.  The 3 areas to analyze how you will continue to advance your business during these tumultuous times are your: attitude, motivation and ability.   One of college football’s most successful coach and my favorite- Lou Holtz said: “Ability is what you’re capable of doing.  Motivation determines what you do.  Attitude determines how well you do it.” level.  He did so by helping them focus in these three vital areas. Right now you and

your  team need to play above your level.   If you want to take your business to the next level you must do the same. What are you capable of doing especially if you remove the barriers often placed by yourself?  What are you determined to accomplish?  How well and how far do you want to go? What is holding you back?  What attitudes are you holding on to and what changes are you resisting that could lead you to irrelevance?   Remove your barriers, embrace change, play above your level, take the ball and cross the goal line.  Change is better than irrelevance and shows no signs of letting up. Be more than conquers.   By Rich Rudnick

 Seize the moment and resolve to succeed!

The newspaper of the Central Oregon Builders Association
VOLUME 9, Issue 4, April 2009 

“Be courageous! Whatever setbacks America has encountered, it has always emerged as a stronger and more prosperous nation…Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith and go forward!”   What prominent leader spoke these timely and encouraging words?  Was it spoken last week, or maybe the week before?   It was actually Thomas Edison who said this profound statement during one of the many difficult periods he endured during his lifetime. The man who failed thousands of times before succeeding with the light bulb and who launched our world into the modern era had an unyielding faith in his country and the American people.  More specifically, Edison believed in the entrepreneur, the business owner and the sales professional.   You see, it is you and I, the American people, who will see us through to better days, not a government stimulus package.   Small business owners and sales professionals are the driving force of this economy. If we face our challenges with courage and faith, eliminate fear, and choose to advance our business no matter what, we will emerge stronger and more prosperous than ever before.  It’s our turn to shoulder the burden of keeping

our country the strongest, most powerful nation on earth.  Are we ready to meet this challenge?   If you study the most successful people who ever walked this planet (not one-hit wonders), you will find they achieved it by enduring much adversity.  Consider Abraham Lincoln, arguably the most revered and quoted of all our presidents. He said, “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.”   Few have had a greater resolve to succeed than Abraham Lincoln.  He was born poor and had little education. Despite his humble origins, he resolved to succeed by gaining an education and became a lawyer.   Lincoln lost several election attempts; but undeterred, he resolved to succeed and became president - homely appearance notwithstanding.   America was coming apart at the seams when he took office, yet he resolved to succeed at keeping his country united.   Lincoln succeeded despite the enormous casualties of war, the death of his son, and the mental breakdown of his wife. He bore with dignity the inherent isolation and the  daunting weight of his

presidential duties. Trials and tribulation produce perseverance; perseverance produces proven character; and proven character - hope.   The times of testing refine us as individuals and a country, and reveal our true character.   We have long been riding a wave of unrealistic, unsustainable gain and expectation.  Frankly, we’ve had it too good and we’ve lost our edge.    As long as we haven’t lost our resolve to succeed, we never give up, and we develop the necessary strength of character, we will emerge a healthier, more prosperous nation.   We must run our business at peak performance – play our “A game” – without fail every day.  The task is great, but not superior to our combined skills, experience, determination and creativity.   I believe history will show this as our defining moment, if we assume a brighter future knowing we will conquer our challenges and make this a better nation in the process.   Our fathers endured far more than we have. We must learn from them and move our businesses forward in faith.    Never give up!   By Rich Rudnick