3 steps to end the year on a high
[bctt tweet=”For the remainder of 2016, @CoachAsanda urges you as a business owner to give it all you have” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] For most of us, the next couple of weeks are crucial for business. Things may not have gone the way we planned these past couple of months. Typically, you’re dealing with unpaid invoices, which are resulting in cash flow challenges. You are relentlessly trying to ensure you meet your sales targets. All of this can be rather stressful at a time when you should be already planning for the next year. Remember though that there is a lot that is out of your hands. My advice is to rather focus your energies on what you have the power to achieve. For the remainder of 2016, I urge you as a business owner to give it all you have. Yes, the year may not have gone the way you would have liked it to, but you can still end on high spirits. You can adjust your attitude and end on a high note! Here are three tips I’ve used myself, which I credit for my excitement when the year comes to a close. 1. Recall your past successes When things are not going our way, we tend to focus on what is not right and neglect to appreciate what has gone right. Yes, you may have had serious financial challenges, yet you managed to keep your business going. How did you do that? You were determined to make it happen —appreciate yourself for that drive and don’t pass up the opportunity to congratulate yourself. What is the one thing you didn’t think you could pull off that you did? Think of all the wins you experienced since the beginning of the year. When you realise that you DO have a track record of success, you are positioning yourself more favourably to go for more wins. [bctt tweet=”As we draw to the end of 2016, think of all the wins you experienced this year” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 2. Set yourself bit-sized goals Most people set long term-ish goals; be it yearly or quarterly and these are not as fluid as I believe they ought to be. Things change, priorities change and unless you have your goals’ sheet fluid, you tend to not spend enough time on realigning, changing and even removing those goals that no longer serve you. The result? When it’s time to see how you’ve done, you have items you did not achieve. The point of setting goals is to achieve them, so what’s the point of not achieving what you’ve set out to? So for the next month, draw up realistic, interrogated bi-weekly goals. The name of the game is to accumulate those small wins as they pave the way for bigger ones. [bctt tweet=”For the next month, draw up realistic, interrogated bi-weekly goals” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] 3. Adopt feedforward planning The past is behind you! What has gone wrong has done just that; gone wrong. Spend the next month on getting feedforward and not feedback. So instead of asking your clients how you did, rather ask them how you can best service them going forward. A typical question you could ask is, “For the next month how can our service be to your liking?” If you have staff you could get their feedforward on how you can best be a better boss to them. When you focus on the future, you feel empowered because you have the power to influence what happens in the future. Getting feedback on the other hand is too focused on what has already happened. [bctt tweet=”You can move from dreading year-end to appreciating all that you have gone through” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] You may not have the power to change your balance sheet over the next couple of weeks but you do have the power to change your attitude. You can move from dreading year-end, to appreciating all that you have gone through and preparing yourself for the next year. The choice is yours. End 2016 on a high where your business is concerned and 2017 will not know what hit it!
A battle of the mind: Leadership lessons from Sheryl Sandberg
[bctt tweet=”Our self-perception as women is actually what keeps you from moving ahead” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] I was fourteen, maybe fifteen and straight out of primary school, it was my first day in high school. My incoming class teacher asked me if I was willing to be the class prefect. I flat out said no. I just was not willing to take up a leadership position to a group of people whom I had never met before. This was despite the fact that I knew I was more than capable of doing the job and doing it well. Fast forward three years later I ended up taking a leadership position not only in my class, but in the entire school. Looking back though, I see the same trend repeating itself in my life over and over and that is what Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead is about. We do it to ourselves Initially, I thought the book was going to be about your basic feminist tirade. I was pleasantly surprised though, when from the get-go she focused more on how the self-perception that women have is actually what keeps them from moving ahead. ‘Sit at the table’ made it to my top three favourite chapters of the book. Sandberg discusses how women face a “battle from within” that prevents them from taking advantage of what rightly belongs to them. In the chapter, Sandberg gives a story about a certain meeting she hosted for government representatives —both men and women. After picking their cups of coffee, the men sat around the conference table but the women opted to sit off to the side of the room, even after much prodding from her. It was an innate decision they made to keep themselves away from issues under discussion even though they had every right to be there. [bctt tweet=”Women hesitate to take advantage of what rightly belongs to them” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] It’s possible to have it all In the 8th chapter, Sandberg brings up a common argument as far as women empowerment is concerned when she talks about making you partner, a real partner. She talks about the traditional gender roles in homes and how to overcome the limitations that these roles throw at women as far as career planning is concerned. The discussion revolves around empowerment taking place at home as much as it is being demanded in the work place. By having men take on more responsibility around the home, traditional gender roles are discouraged. Rather, this encourages an equal playing field in the workplace and at home. An idea that if put into practice in our homes, will enable us to excel both in our careers and in our families. In Africa, especially due to our cultural inclinations this here is easier said than done. Yet, if we are going to let Africa see what we are capable of we must get the entire community involved in this mind shift. The boys’ club mentality Generally, Sandberg’s book gives quite a good insight on the limitations placed on women both internally and externally. This was my key take-away. What I hear mostly around the office corridors is the existence of a certain secret ‘’boys club’’ that seeks to promote only the men in the career journey. [bctt tweet=”Woman empowerment is only attainable when both men and women pursue them together” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] What I don’t hear is talk on the limitations that we as women have placed on ourselves. It’s very easy to complain about how the system has been designed to work against our growth. While we are in that mind-set we forget to look at the limitations that we are placing on ourselves. Sandberg seems to have begun a kind of movement from the book, a not–so-secret girls’ club that should hopefully get all of us out of the pity party we might have in and work hard to get what we are looking to get. Lean In is definitely worth the read. It is witty, it’s well researched and very open, giving you a glimpse into the lives of top women leaders in the Silicon Valley. You see their weakness and failures and how they rise up in the leadership space. If you haven’t already read it, I suggest getting a copy. Not just for yourself but for your partner as well because as Sandberg discusses in the final chapter of the book. The goals of women empowerment are only attainable when both men and women pursue them together, at home and in the office and it begins by thinking that it is possible and worth the pursuit. Today, despite all of the gains we have made, neither men nor women have real choice. Until women have supportive employers and colleagues as well as partners who share family responsibilities, they don’t have real choice. And until men are fully respected for contributing inside the home, they don’t have real choice either. Equal opportunity is not equal unless everyone receives the encouragement that makes seizing those opportunities possible. Only then can both men and women achieve their full potential –Lean In
Emotional Intelligence: The surest way to take your business to the next level
[bctt tweet=”This is why a high Emotional Intelligence Quotient is important for #MotherlandMoguls ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Emotional Intelligence is the magic wand for your business. If you’re passionate about starting a business that will be highly successful, or trying hard to take your existing business to the next level, then you have to read this. Various works of research have shown that we need more than knowledge or high Intelligence Quotient (IQ) to really succeed in life —more-so, at running a business. As an entrepreneur, it is important to attend business school, read wide, have a firm grip of your industry, and know what works and what does not. But even more important is having a high Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ). And this is because business in its entirety is all about people; whether you deal in products or services, you’re dealing with people. Emotional Intelligence has to do with understanding our feelings and those of others. It is that “thing” which determines how we make personal decisions, respond to emotions, interact with people, and sail through social intricacies. How do you offer the best service possible to your clients when you don’t understand how they feel? Despite what many believe, this form of intelligence comprises a set of skills that can be learned and applied every day. Let’s take a look at some of these recipes for success. [bctt tweet=”You have to have control over your own emotions if you hope to keep your clients, and add new ones” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] You need to have emotional self-control To understand people, it’s important to understand yourself first. You have to have control over your own emotions —the way you react to issues or situations— if you hope to keep your clients, and add many new ones. Having emotional self-control means you can respond to negative situations rationally rather than emotionally. Don’t forget that people enjoy doing business with someone that is emotionally stable. And that means a lot for the growth of your enterprise. To have emotional self-control, you have to be aware of your emotions from time to time. For example, the presence of negative emotions like anger, anxiety, pessimism, sadness can weigh you down and take a drastic turn on your business. But once you’re aware of them, what triggers them, and how they affect you, then they can be put in check over time. I mean you can manage them as much as possible. I know this can be challenging at first, things would always get better with time. In essence, to move ahead in your business —and even your career— you must stay motivated. And to stay motivated, you have to have control over your emotions. [bctt tweet=”The window to the heart of your customers is active listening, that’s why Emotional Intelligence comes in” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Adopt listening as a skill Running a business has everything to do with managing relationships. Yet it is practically impossible to manage relationships without getting to know the concerns or perspectives of others. The window to the heart of your prospective or existing customers is active listening. Let them tell you what and how they feel about your product or service with a lot of assurance that you care. Listening goes beyond just hearing someone else. It’s a skill that could be used to set your business —and indeed your life— on the path of great success. From your business partners and investors to clients and staff, you should pay adequate attention to whatever ideas or suggestions they put across to you. Whether you approve of their ideas or not, make sure to listen with rapt attention and nod in acknowledgement. Why is this essential? People enjoy doing business with someone they like, one who listens to them, their complaints as well as their feedback. Many business owners are too busy chasing profit without considering the magical power of active listening. They’ve forgotten that when they listen effectively to their customers, they would get more insight into how people view their products or services. And this in some way would hint them as to what and what should be done to make their businesses perform better. Never underrate the power of listening; it could make a lot of difference in your business. Showing empathy is the way to go As an entrepreneur, it’s not enough to listen to those you’re transacting business with, showing care is essential. Think of your customers as yourself. Put yourself in their shoes. Be on the same page as your clients. Ask yourself: If I were the consumer of this product or service, how satisfied would I be? It’s good to let your business be that ‘person’ whom people are endeared to and are willing to be with no matter what because she cares. Showing empathy means looking into customers’ complaints with as much urgency as genuineness. It also means sincerely putting your customers first as far as the delivery of your service is concerned. [bctt tweet=”Beyond being intelligent and strategic, Emotional Intelligence is the great secret of success ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”] Emotional Intelligence is the magic wand for your business Beyond being intelligent and strategic, beyond having a vast knowledge about running a business, there remains a great secret of success that can help you lead effectively in your industry and that’s Emotional Intelligence. Although some are born with a high level of this form of intelligence, it can be learned. Once you take control of your emotions, use listening as an important skill and show great empathy for your clients, you’re already adopting Emotional Intelligence as a powerful tool to take your business to the next level. How emotionally intelligent are you? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
4 lessons Tiwa Savage taught us on comebacks
It now seems so long ago. Sometime in April, we woke up to a rather unexpected hot-button topic —the messy detail of troubles in Tiwa Savage’s marriage. There were mind-blowing accusations on social media by her estranged husband. A tell-all video from Tiwa was to follow the next day. We already knew the 36-year-old Nigerian pop diva could make any song sound heavenly. But for someone who seemed well put together, we didn’t exactly see this coming. In case you’re one of the handful who hasn’t realized yet, Tiwa has got her groove back and she’s clearly on her grind! I have gleaned from her setback and triumph, 4 hard-hitting truths. They are guaranteed to stick with you for a long time. Challenges have a way cooler purpose than you ever thought. This is probably relative but this attitude is the most important you can develop in life, business or marriage. Seriously, challenges can sneak up on you and make you feel like the worst person alive. The idea is to realize that though it might take a lot of courage to look pain in the eye, it’s best to trust that it is a learning opportunity. If you’ve never had to crack some tough nut, have you really lived? I don’t think so. Know when you’ve had enough… and start talking like Tiwa. Like the message in the ‘If I Start To Talk’ song, off her RED album, maybe it’s time you realized you’ve had enough and started talking. You’ve probably been silent for too long. You don’t have to talk to anyone but an extra set of ears can be very useful. You probably think no one would appreciate, understand or help your plight (I find that pretty rare), but it can be a lifesaver to have someone know your story. Dust yourself off Tiwa’s got some interesting deals and endorsements going on, right now. The most recent and coolest, of course, is her being signed to Jay Z-owned Roc Nation! That’s some great trick for moving on —deliberately re-enact your own story. It makes for good business and helps you avoid having to obsessively dwell on something you cannot help. You can always decide the turning point in your own narrative. It is that moment when everything changes or catalyzes. Play the stingy one if you must Maybe you’ve been doling out cash to that lazy business partner, spouse, friend, family member or people whose link to you, you can’t fathom. No sweat girl, the giver tag to your name is fine. But the broke, unappreciated and unhappy tag is not so fine. If you find yourself in a position to offer help, by all means, do but it should really be worth it.
Lisa Chiriseri: Some people get offended at my confidence in reaching goals
When you’re a young, black woman trying to make a change in the world, there will be people who don’t take you seriously. If you’re petite and are blessed with that strong melanin that makes you look ten years younger than you are, chances are you’ll be taken even less seriously. This is a problem Lisa Chiriseri has had to deal with often. Lisa is a Zimbabwean social entrepreneur who has run social initiatives since she was in university. Now back in Zimbabwe, she’s running several projects and a start-up. Here, Lisa tells us about her social initiative program – Street Exit Strategies and her energy project for women. Lisa also lets us know why women need to support each other and why she returned to her country to help in the re-building process. Most young Zimbabweans who study abroad don’t come back because of the issues at the homefront. Why did you come back? I had so many reasons to come back home. In my first year schooling abroad, I started a social initiative in Zimbabwe which I ran from school. But I always came home during the holidays to help the team on ground manage it. Secondly, though Zimbabwe wasn’t out of the woods economically at the time I graduated, there were prospects of improvements since we had just dollarized. The economy seemed to be stabilizing and we had the GNU (Government of National Unity). I was determined to be a part of my country’s rebuilding process and I’ve stuck it out for the past 5 years since I returned. How were you able to manage this social initiative in absentia? I believe in the indisputable synergy of a passionate team. When you have committed team members like I had, things tend to go well. Also, while away, with online communication, a good friend literally ran the initiative. Tell us about this social initiative. What was it about? It was called Street Exit Strategies, which is actually the name of my current registered trust, under which I run lots of other projects. It was basically a soup kitchen and rehabilitation centre. We focused on teens and young adults, especially those who were kicked out of homes and centres once they turned 16. So, we focused on rehabilitating them, reconciling them with their families and helping them continue with their O levels and tertiary education. We’ve got several inspiring stories to tell of our efforts. One of the guys we took off the streets and helped through O levels just completed his secondary education. Another is concluding his Master’s program at the University of Western Cape. And oh, there’s still another who just completed his degree in Political Science at the University of Zimbabwe. Do you still run the soup kitchen? We run it on a case by case basis because, in 2013, organizations running soup kitchens reached a collective decision to stop supporting people on the streets. More people just kept cropping up on the streets. Struggling people who had homes starting showing up on the streets looking for support and we needed to be more accountable. It felt like we were forcing people to go to school, forcing them to attend rehab sessions and peer mentorship programs. However, we continued with referrals to drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres and also providing family planning advice. What other projects are you currently involved with? I’m currently working on a gas-related project called Women in Energy. It’s a known fact that for a resource that’s mainly utilized by women, the energy sector is a rather male-dominated industry. Women need heat to cook, and some walk for kilometers to get firewood. Imagine the energy and time wasted! Exposure to fumes from unsafe firewood and paraffin also have adverse health implications. In the rural areas, you find women with gray films over their eyes, cancer of the lungs and other ailments that could have been avoided. I’m out to change that by providing clean, safe and affordable energy sources to these women. As a young girl, did you always know this was something you’d do? I’ve always been passionate about helping the disadvantaged. I didn’t know it was something I’ll be doing full-time. Actually, it only dawned on me recently, when I tried working a full-time consultancy job and I hated it. I realized it wasn’t for me, I simply couldn’t work at something that benefitted someone I didn’t even know, or whose objectives I knew nothing about. I always knew I wanted to help people and I’ve always had a way of balancing several projects at a time. What would you tell that young woman who’s involved in a career she’s not too keen on, but also afraid to venture out? I would say reach out, it’s really surprising how useful people can be if you tell them about your passion. Ask for pointers and referrals, but be very selective on who you talk to about your ideas. When you get the opportunity, introduce yourself and exactly what it is you want to do. Networking is also very important. Who you know is everything! The world has evolved and people are much more open to helping young women. There are organizations, groups, and activities making access to information and networking easy. Take your time, get as much information as possible then confidently step out. There’ll never be a perfect time so you’ve got to start anyway.
The art of dusting yourself off
What’s the difference between successful business people, and those who are less so? I’ve always wondered about this and for a while, I thought it boiled down to factors such as innovation, technical know-how and networks. I have since found that while these factors play a large role, a lot depends on your ability to self-motivate during the down times. It is easy to be focused when things are going your way, but this is not always the case when the reverse occurs. This partly explains why a majority of small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) do not get to year two of their existence. Running your own business means you are forgoing a predictable source of income for something that you have no guarantee will work. Yes, you go into it having done your homework and armed with a clear projection of your revenue. But, we know what they say about the best-laid plans. The reality is that business is tough. It is not for the faint of heart. I have come across a lot more ‘depressed’ business people than happy fulfilled ones. Hell, I have had more down moments in the space of a year and a half than I’d ever had in my entire professional career. When you are in the services business like some of us, the going can get a lot tougher than most. So, if the harshness of the entrepreneurship path is so prevalent, how come we hear very little about it? Human nature prohibits people from admitting that things aren’t what they thought they would be. It’s as if doing so makes you less human, better yet, less ‘entrepreneurial’. We walk around pretending the world of business is fine and all of us are making money and not spending sleepless nights wondering where payroll money will come from. You end up feeling discouraged and exhausted, sometimes even considering the attractiveness of a predictable income. When this moment hits, it’s easy to forget all the good things that attracted you into your business industry in the first place. You forget all about the well-laid strategies that you have developed over time and the urgency to generate cash becomes a dominant factor in your mind. At this point in the journey, it’s time to dig deep into your internal resources. No, I’m not talking about spirituality. Accessing your inner resources takes a clear understanding of the following: You are not unique Everyone goes through dips in every area of their lives. You are not unique. Don’t worry, you won’t die from it either. Understand that even the ones you admire today went through the struggles you are going through. It passes and it comes back again, get used to the cycle. If it comes easy, you’ll take it for granted I have learnt that when things are handed on a silver platter the amount of care we place on them is different to when you work for it yourself. Make sure success is important to you, that way you give things you work on all you’ve got. Dusting yourself off is a skill you learn Mental fitness does not just happen overnight, it is a skill that gets better with exercise. The more you use this skill, the better it becomes. All it takes is knowing what you want to achieve and knowing and believing that you have all you need to realise it. In addition, remembering that obstacles are part of the game and a chance sometimes to recalibrate. Get used to downtime We all go through down moments in every area of our lives, it’s even worse in the world of business. There are many businesses offering similar goods and services and it is always about reinventing yourself. Sometimes it goes your way, other times it doesn’t. Failure is also part of the journey and that is normal. How you move from the dips is what determines the level of impact you and your business will have for the next generation.
The why and how to being an inspirational leader
Let me start by telling you about Julia. After eight years of operations and more than 25 members of staff, Julia was frustrated and exasperation. She deemed that the business was just not viable and decided it was finally time to shut things down. Dwindling revenues and consistently spiraling costs were largely to blame. But it was all supposed to have been so easy. After graduating from University with a LLB, Julia decided that, having studied Law to please her parents, she could now start living her own dream. Julia got qualified and set up her own Montessori kindergarten. Soon enough through word of mouth and referrals, pupils came in. But year in and year out, pupil numbers were not growing as Julia had expected. Teachers too were not as inspired and motivated in their work as she needed them to be. Julia herself needed inspiration. Now, imagine a world where people wake up inspired to go to work. A world where your employees genuinely look forward to the start of business day. Where they look forward to interacting with their colleagues and leader daily. In this world, your employees are constantly and authentically excited about interacting with clients. They see themselves as relevant and are ready to offer premium solutions to the needs of clients with a listening ear and attentive heart. Imagine that. Wouldn’t it be really amazing? In my point of view, this would be seriously valuable. I think we should all seek to make our businesses and workplaces like that imagined one above. I am convinced that one of the ways you can do that is to lead with purpose and direction. You need to know your why of your business, live the why of your business in your operations, and inspire with the why of your business. The Why Let’s start with ‘why’. Why exactly are you in business? What is so distinctive about your business and your organization that it would potentially draw clients and employees to your door step? There are some organizations that people just fantasize working with. There are others that are the preferred service providers of many. There is a reason for this both employee and client deem these organisations to be especial service providers. They are seen as having a unique way of doing and serving. There is something distinctive about their brand and therefore their business. This isn’t something left to chance. The most sought after brands are relentless in their efforts to be responsive to client and employee needs and wants. They clearly understand why they are in business and who they are in business to serve. They are also equally obsessive about serving clientele effectively and efficiently according to their brand values, and doing so consistently and constantly. The How I wonder if Julia, the head of the school above, had thought deeply about the ‘why’ of her business. I also wonder if she had thought deeply about how she would have to operate her business to satisfy that why. Julia probably hadn’t thought deeply about what it takes to create the kind of school that she wanted. This list is lenghty, from organizational values and culture, to parent/school engagement, to away days for teachers, to school administrative policies, to continuous learning for herself and her teachers so that they become authorities in their field, to developing an executive presence for herself. In any business, there are vital peripherals which we must pay attention to. These are beyond the product and service that you sell. The decisive business leader ensures that their business operates at a place of inspired joint value for all its stakeholders. They ensure that their organization is a continuously learning, improving and responding. They ensure that their business is continually enhancing their capabilities, services and products -and inspiring and motivating staff as it does so . And that takes courage It takes courage to inspire, when you inspire you will suggest innovative ways of doing and thinking for the better. In presenting new ways of thinking and of doing, the business leader challenges the status quo. That is why leading effectively often requires courage. Most people will need tremendous inspiration to offer their best and effect an otherwise dormant potential. It will take courageous leadership to draw out that potential. It was TS Eliot who said that only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. The privilege and responsibility of business leadership is in taking calculated risks, within and in spite of your resource constraints, to see how you can more effectively serve and respond to your clients and your team’s needs. That takes courage. But courage is ineffectual without purpose and direction. This is why in business we must know our ‘why’, and gather the courage to demonstrate that why through our how.
4 steps to building your brand online
This is 2016, you have all the information on your fingertips. You can use this to effectively brand yourself and ensure that you stand out from the crowd. There can only be one you. Here’s what you can do to build your own brand from scratch. Step 1 – Google yourself You meet a stranger, get information about a competitor, receive a random email from a potential business partner…what is the first thing you do? You Google them! Now think about it. If you are testing your private investigating skills on Google, chances are someone else is doing the same thing for you. They are out there Googling your name. This begs the question; what will they find? Does Google even know you exist? Once you have decided to type your name in Google’s search bar and hit enter, what you find out about yourself will determine how you begin to either start building or reshaping your brand. Step 2 – Overhaul your Online Presence When was the last time you checked your privacy settings? Make sure that what you allow the public to see is really what you want them to see. What about your inactive social media pages? Sometimes, we follow trends and open social media accounts which we end up not using at all. If you are not active and it does not serve your personal or professional goals, delete these accounts quickly. You know those pictures that your friends took at that party in 2009? The ones that you don’t want anyone to see? Where are they? Are they visible only to you and your besties or to the rest of us on Google? Remove any inappropriate photos or information that you don’t want attached to your professional image. Have you been featured on any third party websites? Do those websites still represent your brand? Make sure that they reflect what your brand stands for. If not, consider asking them to get rid of those features or put up an update. Step 3 – Your value proposition Much like any service or product, you have to find out what you have to offer that is of unique value. This is your value proposition, to discover it ask yourself the following questions; What makes you unique? What are your skills? What pushes you to wake up in the morning? What makes you better than the next person? Who are you? What are your values? Are those values reflected in what the world sees? The moment you find out who you are and what you want to achieve, you’ll know exactly how you want others to see you. This links back to the impression you want to leave on those who are checking you out on online. Step 4 – Let Us Work So, you have figured out what Google says about you, you have overhauled your online presence and you know what you have to offer. Now let’s get to work. Which social media platforms do you have? Which ones are you going to use for personal and professional interests? Are you keeping up to date with what is happening in your industry and sharing it on your professional social media platforms? Be consistent in your postings and in what you put out into the world. It’s easy to be consistent when your online presence is a reflection of who and what you are. Live out your brand. Whether you are networking or in the way that you do business, embody your brand. Live it out in how you work and in how you present yourself. Your online presence should merely be an extension of your true self. So? What are you waiting for? What have you got to lose? Try these steps and let us know when you’ve become a brand .
Defining your fabulous: how to develop personal and business authority in the age of mediocrity
For a small business, it’s almost impossible to separate the CEO’s personal brand from the business brand. These become indistinguishable given that the founder is the face of the business, and most likely the primary client-facing representative too. This can have both positive and negative connotations. Personal image and branding isn’t only represented by the outward appearance of the CEO. It is also in the values and the professionalism exhibited (or not) by the CEO in running the business. Current and prospective clients will judge the credibility of your brand based on the quality of their interaction with the founder and staff. They will also be concerned with the quality and responsiveness of your product, as well as the quality and consistency of your service. For the business owner and CEO, this brings home the need to reflect on, define and articulate your personal and business values right from the outset. Understand and define what you are trying to achieve with your business and what values are aligned with those personal and business aspirations. Then, commit to living those values through how you operate your business. This delivers you your business brand. How you choose and interact with clients, how you recruit and engage with staff. How you present yourself to the world, as well as your presentation, oratory and networking skills, and personal style. Let’s look at some “how to’s”; How to define your personal and/or business values Your business is an extension of you, your personality, your values. You need to complete the exercise of identifying or defining your values. What are you trying to achieve with your business? What values are aligned with these aspirations? Most clients in one way or the other will want a product or service from a particular service provider because they feel an affinity with that brand. Whether you know it or not, clients have already judged you before they come to your business premises based on the values you are exuding. Whether they stay with you or not is dependent on how well you consistently demonstrate those values in operating your business. How to ensure that your business values are evident in how you present yourself to the world How you present yourself to the world includes your outward appearance, but also your technical skills and abilities, your oratory and your presentation skills. How you present yourself involves aligning all of this with your vocation, without limiting your unique personality. The CEO is the heart and soul of the small business –when we think of buying your good or service, we usually think of you. Therefore, your physical outward appearance must demonstrate your brand essence. In this regard here are a few prerequisites: Upgrade your presentation and oratory skills This gives immense confidence and credibility. A lot of the time CEOs are pitching their business, whether on the golf course or at a conference. You need to be able to do this authentically and authoritatively so that in 2 or 3 minutes people ‘get’ your business and are persuaded to believe that you have a good or service that will be of interest to them. Be an authority Your staff and your clients are looking to you for leadership, give them leadership. Staff and clients want and need to be schooled in how to do things. That’s why clients come when they have that tricky business challenge, and it’s why graduates will chase your company for a job once they leave university. Both clients and staff believe you are an authority in your industry. Consistently demonstrate to them that you have that authority. Nothing demonstrates this more than knowledge, insight and creativity. You need to constantly be a thought leader in your industry so that your business is future forward and ready. Business services Business values also need to be evident in the operations of your business. How you recruit and select staff, how you choose and maintain clients, how you present your business, how you and your staff dress and the code of conduct of your business. You need to be concerned about the credibility and aesthetics of your business. Branding Finally, business values need to be evident in the branding of your business. What is your business’s corporate identity? What are your corporate colours, and why? Are staff aware of the brand identity, do they use it? More importantly, do they use it as they should? Is this identity easily translated by clients? Decide today to define your fabulous. Develop your personal and business values to a level strong enough to enable you positively dictate the experience of current and prospective clients with your business, the growth of your business, and the leadership experience with your staff. Good luck!
5 skills your new team needs right away
So, you’ve got a new team on your hands. As a savvy manager, you’ve studied your team and decided that they need to work on some new skills. But you’re having a tough time making a choice on which skills are the most useful to ensure your team operates smoothly. Don’t worry, we have your back. Communication The importance of communication cannot be overstated. You have a new team of people, some of whom may have never worked together before or have never worked with you. In this case, clear verbal communication is essential for success. Your team should be able to easily communicate within themselves and also with you as their manager. Then again, excellent communicating ensures effective meetings, respect towards others and little misunderstanding during team work. Being open-minded Your team is going to have to learn to be open-minded and be willing to listen to new and diverse points of view without jumping into conclusions. You can’t have one member talking over the rest of the team or shutting down other’s ideas. As a manager, you want your team to work together and be supportive of each other. For that to be achieved, it is essential that everyone is open-minded. Problem solving Each member of your team should be able to problem solve on their own. Poor problem solving can lead to failure of the team, and your brand in the larger picture. As a whole, your team should easily identify problems and come up with different solutions. They should be able to take the initiative with coming up with new ideas. If they are having difficulties making a decision, they should know to notify you. Management and organisation Any efficient team knows the basics of project management. They know how to plan, manage tasks and schedule their time. It shouldn’t be the responsibility of just one person to ensure meeting and team goals are set. The whole team should possess management and organisational skills, this way everyone can remain focused on achieving tasks. Questioning Now this is an often overlooked skill, but it is extremely important for everyone. A good number of us are scared to ask questions, we don’t want to appear lacking especially in front of a new group of people. Your team will likely not be any different. Learning questioning skills encourages curiosity and knowledge seeking. If you’re working with a team where roles need to be divided, consider having a rotation so this way your team’s skill sets are continuously growing and expanding. Have you managed a new team recently? What skills did you encourage them to learn? Please let us know your answers by leaving a comment below.