Tell your children – they’ll hold you to account!
IJP Consultancy Ltd
“What’s Your Biggest Challenge Right Now?” is a great question to ask on so many occasions.
As a Business Coach I ask it frequently of my clients. I also ask it of people when I meet them a networking events.
It never ceases to amaze me what a challenging question it can be in itself and quite often it is followed by a period of silence, then “That’s a good question. No-one has ever asked me that before”
Another (less challenging) way of asking the same thing is to say “If I could wave a magic wand over you and/or your business and change one thing, what would it be?”
It is a question we should ask ourselves constantly, followed by “What are we going to do about it?
Albert Einstein is often attributed with saying “The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting a different result”, although there is some doubt he actually ever said it.
The point is well made though, we often need someone looking over our shoulder and asking the ‘awkward’ questions and then holding us to account to ensure that we carry out what we said we were going to do.
This is why “Successful people do what unsuccessful people don’t”.
When people do answer the question, frequently the answer is “I need more clients”.
This then leads onto the next question: “Are you finding plenty of people to talk to and not converting them into orders, or are you struggling for people to talk to”
If it’s the former they need help with selling skills and if the latter it’s a marketing challenge they have.
The point of this is we have to constantly challenge ourselves as to ‘what’s holding us back’, ‘how can I move forward quicker’.
Quite often we are not the best people to do that. We are too close.
So if you want to improve, and you can afford it, get yourself a business coach, or at least speak to one about how it may work for you.
I always find it odd that business people whose livelihoods, and those of others, depend upon them being successful think they can manage without one, yet they expect their favourite sports team to have a good one.
Even your kid’s ones will have one!
Yes I'm sure you will get there on your own but you will do it a lot quicker with some help!
Food for thought maybe?
If investment is a challenge then at least get an ‘accountability buddy’ who you can meet with say once a month and talk through things.
You need someone to constantly ask you “Did you do what you said you were going to do?” Or get both.
I’m off to meet one of my buddies as soon as I have finished writing this. Trust me, it works.
The alternative is that nothing ever changes, and that’s not we want I’m sure.
One last thought. If a coach or ‘accountability buddy’ isn’t for you, for whatever reason, then tell your kids.
Tell them that their holidays in the summer depend upon you bringing in £x of orders every week or something similar.
They sure as hell every Friday will be saying “So how are things going Mom/Dad? Not good, so what are you going to do different next week? We want our holidays!” That should work! :-)
I hope this was of interest and stirred some thoughts.