Posts Tagged: Develop-Resourceful-People

Business Transformation / Coaching / Mindset / Yearly Business Review — 5 Comments
8
May 13

How to radically alter the potential of your business

Marketing is everything you doSome one moderately famous once told me: “Immersing in a sound structured process of examination and reflection, conducted by a skilled professional has positive spin offs”. I have been reflecting on that and the positive reaction that always happens when clients start working with me.

The structured process of thinking about themselves, their business, looking at their strengths, imagining a new future, triggers such positive actions and feelings that circumstances will change, and clients do become more successful in their business. The action of working on your business radically alter the effectiveness of your mind and the potential of your business. This occurs because:

We are challenging your mind.  Neuroscience has now proven the old saying “use it or lose it”. The process we go through uses your mind productively to learn new skills. The benefits of increased mind function is an elevation in feelings of positivity, that more things are achievable or possible.

We begin with the end in mind. To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination or purpose. To know where you are headed, is to better understand where you are right now and what steps will be needed to continue in the direction for positive results.  My coaching process fosters a mindset of outcomes focus and optimised marketing, that will help you create solutions, and not keep you stuck in the problems of your business.

Reflection is the key to changing mindset. The process of finding quiet time for reflecting on your current business situation and the negative responses that comes up, provides insight about what you need to change. Through my coaching we work on a positive mindset combined with effective marketing, because it will be 80% of your success in business.

Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story. The mind must believe it can do something before it is capable of actually doing it. By being aware of your mental self-talk, your thoughts, and being honest about your current situation; through reflection and answering questions about yourself and your business – it’s amazing what insights you will be provided.

Without awareness and giving yourself an opportunity to examine your business and learn new skills, you’re not likely to be able to do something about your business situation. If you don’t like the results you are getting, if you aren’t achieving your business goals, then knowing yourself, your strengths, and what you’ve been doing in the past to influence that situation is key. My structured process reveals both your personal and marketing barriers to business success. It helps you take control of what you can control.

There is no need for unconscious or disengaged marketing in 2013. Smart businesses make conscious, mindful marketing a part of their daily working lives.

Remember, if we’re unable to learn about ourselves, how we work and maximise our strengths, how are we to help ourselves excel at the business we have chosen?

Love to know what you think? Please leave a comment below.

About the author:  Teresa Bassham is the boss lady of Zenworkz Authentic Marketing and educates businesses to think, create, engage and optimise their marketing effort.  She coaches customers in strategies for traditional and online marketing; and implementation.  If you would like free how-to-do-it-yourself marketing resources or to subscribe to free e-news about all things marketing, please visit the website:

http://www.zenworkz.com/

For daily marketing tips and references, connect to our fabulous community on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Zenworkz.Authentic.Marketing

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Coaching / Mindset / Value Proposition — No Comments
17
Apr 13

Focus on your Strengths to be Successful

SWOTWhen I begin a coaching journey with a new customer, I get them to complete a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis on themselves and their business.  A SWOT analysis is a fairly simple, low cost way of assessing work preferences and current business situation.

It presents information that is vital for both parties in developing business and marketing plans, enabling the coached customer to focus on transforming strengths into capabilities, matching them with opportunities in the marketplace.

There are other practical applications from completing a SWOT analysis. The more you focus on your strengths the greater your strengths become. It is a solutions focussed approach which understands that setting objectives in the weaknesses area are not likely to be successful or completed for a long time.

So how do you identify your strengths? If you have a partner, they would be the first person to ask, although you might not like what you hear. If you need to make this assessment by yourself, a good way is to think about the activities you do that make you feel invigorated.

Strengths are tasks or activities that you always do first because they are enjoyable or easy; or because you love doing them. When you focus on your strengths, you do the activities that give you energy and drive, so you don’t want to stop doing them. Have you ever been totally engaged in something you love doing and were shocked when you realised how much time had past? This is working with your strengths.

The reality when you are starting out in a business is you do have to do a lot of activities that do not energise you. This is unavoidable until you can build your business and outsource tasks to those who are energised by tasks that you dislike.

A business should be built around a product or service that really works for you, energises you, is easy to do, and has good customer demand. Working this way will provide you all the energy you need to build a base of customers that adore your product or what you do, because you can do it better than anyone else.

It sounds really simple and many are surprised when I recommended working with their strengths and not focusing on their weaknesses; but it’s how great businesses have been built successfully for decades.

Any questions or comments, please feel free to leave a comment here or on Facebook?

About the author: Teresa Bassham is the boss lady of Zenworkz Authentic Marketing, and is passionate about educating business professionals to create their differential advantage, attract more ideal customers and create a marketing plan to achieve success.  She coaches customers face to face, online and by phone – if you would like to request coaching – please contact me.

For daily Marketing Tips visit and “like” my Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/Zenworkz.Authentic.Marketing

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Business Transformation / Coaching / Developing Resourceful People / Mentoring / Mindset / Networking — No Comments
4
Jun 12

The Immeasurable Value of a Mentor

 

A mentor is: “An experienced and trusted advisor – one who expects more of us than we do”.

 

 

 

Mentoring, coaching, developing business people, and improving performance is a complex activity combining skill, knowledge, patience, values, and engagement.  It is not one trait but the combination together with commitment and intent, which builds successful mentoring relationships.

I write these words as I complete a role as a mentor to three young entrepreneurs in a regional program.  I have learnt, and still do, from many kind and wonderful people who have given their time and knowledge to help me. It was such a pleasure to pass on my knowledge and skills to help my small team.

My first true mentor was my Dad.  Born in the UK, served in “Dad’s Army” as a young man because he lost his trigger thumb as an apprentice butcher; learnt other trades on the black market during the war; migrated to Australia in the 60‘s when the rest of this family said he was crazy; and worked for years as a small business owner, finally losing all his hard earned money by purchasing a pub, just before random breath testing was introduced.  My values of hard work, being positive despite what life throws at you and always looking forward, is imbued with his values, approach and life observations.

In my early working life I have had many great managers that have challenged, coached, and supported me.  They set clear development expectations with me, provided a series of assignments to widen my skills and competency, and ensured continuous feedback.  The most valuable part of this experience was the ability to work closely with them, observing their approach; and values in decision making and problem solving.

The benefits from learning with the experience of the mentor include:

  • Exposure to different ideas and perspectives,
  • Insight into your own performance,
  • Support in development,
  • Avoiding and learning from mistakes,
  • Intellectual stimulation from interaction with a trusted and knowledgeable person, and often,
  • Increased visibility and an extension of influence within a community or group.

Where can you find a mentor?  Mentors can be found both in the workplace and outside it. But first you must be clear about the reason you want or need a mentor, and then you can better identify who might help.

If you are just starting a business, wanting to do a business plan or marketing plan, you could start by using the mentoring services available through the various state governments.

If you are an established business and want advice on how to get to the next stage and access new networks and channels, join an industry association and network.  Search online for an association or go to an industry conference and find out who the main players are. Take the initiative yourself and just ask.

Alternatively, try the informal type of mentoring, and think about your family and friends networks.  Networking communities and university alumni’s are other good places to look for mentoring programs.

Mentoring is also good if you are facing difficult times.  But maybe in this situation you could look at employing a business coach, management consultant to re-engineer processes, or an marketing coach to help with opportunity identification.

Finally, it’s important to observe the major ingredients in establishing successful Mentor/Mentee relationships, which are clarity of:

  • Mentor/Mentee development relationship goals, roles, and responsibilities,
  • Expectations and limits of relationship for all involved,
  • Mentor key areas of experience, competence, and attitude both professionally and personally that contribute to Mentee development needs,
  • Amount and length of time for development relationship,
  • Measurement of development outcomes.

I am deeply grateful for the many men and women who have given me the benefits of their experience and skill, and that I in turn, am able to repay their investment by mentoring others.

Have you had a mentor and gained immeasurable value?  I’d love to hear your story?

About the Author: Teresa Bassham runs Zenworkz Marketing, coaches and mentors small business in all aspects of authentic marketing.  My website contains many useful and free resources:www.zenworkz.com

If you would like to know more about Teresa’s services, please contact her: mailto:teresabassham@zenworkz.com

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Authentic Marketing / Authentic Message Creation / Authentic Values / Mindset — No Comments
13
May 12

12 Keys to Mindful Success

What you believe about yourself and your business will come true.  Believing in your success is 80% of the battle won, with the other 20% being your skills, expertise, products or services that meet your ideal customers needs.

What may be preventing you from fulfilling your business potential grows out of your beliefs.

Here are 12 useful keys for developing a belief system for mindful success:

1.   Develop authentic confidence!

2.   Take ownership of the outcomes!

3.   Clearly communicate your vision and talk about it!

4.   Create a passion for learning and making mistakes!

5.   Learn to be a team player to grow a successful business!

6.   Learn to be systems-oriented – to produce consist results!

7.   Dedicate yourself to your vision, purpose and goals!

8.   Be grateful for what you have and be open to more!

9.   Develop a positive outlook and generate optimism!

10.  Tell people how excited you are to share your ideas!

11.  Motivate yourself and lead by example!

12.  Don’t be afraid of risks or of amazing financial success!

If you like what you find in this list, please share it with your friends to help us spread the idea.

Are these 12 keys working for you?  Leave your comments below?

About the author: Teresa Bassham is the principle of Zenworkz Authentic Marketing, and is passionate about educating small and medium business professionals to research their customer market; create their authentic marketing message; attract more ideal customers; and create a marketing plan to achieve success in 2012/2013.  She runs local workshops in Northern NSW and coaches customers online and by phone – if you would like to attend the next scheduled workshops on 6th & 7th June, 2012 or request distance coaching online –please contact me.

While you are visiting my website – subscribe for weekly e-News updates on all topics related to authentic marketing.

For daily Authentic Marketing updates visit and “like” my facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/Zenworkz.Authentic.Marketing

 

 

 

 

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Building High Performance Teams / Developing Resourceful People — No Comments
16
Jul 10

Developing Resourceful People will help your business survive

The forecasts of economic uncertainty are directly affecting the bottom line of many businesses and managers may be tempted to batten down the hatches to weather the storm; but developing resourceful people will always be a successful strategy for long term survival.

“All that separates you from your competitors are the skills, knowledge, commitment and abilities of the people who work for you”

This quote by Jeffrey Pfeffer of Stanford University can be found in Richards Florida’s book The Rise of the Creative Class.

The quote resonates with most people, yet in our experience we often find the basics supporting resourceful practice, creativity, innovation, outstanding performance and being valued in the workplace, missing.

Asking business owners and managers the questions:

“ If we came to work here what we would need to do to be successful?” and

“ How would we know we were being successful and adding value to the business?”

The answers to these questions give valuable insight about the expectations, values, communication and culture which exists in a business – and what it’s like to work there!

Years of observation tells us that business owners and managers who successfully develop resourceful people and reap the rewards are:

  • Very clear
    They demonstrate clarity of expectations about the business purpose, direction, acceptable behaviour towards customers and others and what success means.
  • Methodical and trusting
    They are system, process, outcome and results focused.  People can rely on business systems to support new approaches and ideas.
  • Constantly measuring and communicating
    They know what, why, where, when, and who; and can deliver focused appropriate communication.
  • They demonstrably value others, and create workplaces which acknowledge and support people

So, to boost your own or others resourcefulness ask the question:

“ How do we know we are being successful and adding value to our business, and what more might we do?”

Here are some other suggestions for “what more we might do”:

Define the possible: Be open to new possibilities.  The person who says “yes we can do this” is the one who can lead colleagues to do things that some might consider impossible.
Turn innovation inward: Resourcefulness is also about optimising what you have.  Innovation is not just about creating something new; it also applies to making old processes work better.
Identify quick wins first: It may be tempting to consider re-inventing how your company does business but adopting a realistic attitude about what you can do in the short term may be more productive. Processes and procedures; specific tasks, roles and responsibilities can be improved with an eye toward simplicity and cost savings.
Listen to your staff: A resourceful leader leads by example and encourages staff to do the same.  Have discussions about what the team and individuals can do to turn “doing more with less” into a pragmatic process for improvement.
Celebrate the learnings: Encourage the spread of resourcefulness, and make certain that accomplishments are publicised and praised.

Developing resourceful people should not be the reserve of hard times.  In good times, developing your people; communicating clearly your measures of success; providing opportunities for your people to add value to your business, will always be a successful long term strategy.

Author: Brian Bassham, is a Director of Zenworkz and helps businesses gain insight that improves their decision making and long term success.

All or parts of this blog are able to be published with permission from the author – provided that the author is acknowledged and a link is given to the original source blog.

Zenworkz – informed business transformation and evaluation

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