Look at your appointment calendar. See any "white space"? If you're like most busy CEOs and business professionals, you are booked non-stop for meetings, luncheons, dinner meetings,
charity functions, planning sessions and... Well, you get the idea. In between the bookings, you scramble to keep up with projects, reviews, financial reports, investors, staff, customers and suppliers.



Tired yet? This weariness can wreak havoc on your business.  Consider the symptoms of fatigue: lack of innovation, irritability,  reduced productivity, and stress. The list goes on. And we are frequently unaware of how run down we are getting.



We are moving away from the industrial age into the information age, yet the work ethic that most of us grew up with taught us to maximize work time - time at the factory or the office. Even our language reflects the inherent value judgment of time away from work. We call non-work time “off-time” or “down-time”.



The emergence of creativity, ideas, and information as our most valuable resources, and the pervasiveness of the global, 24-hour business world has changed our concept of “time equals money”. Now, it’s “results equals money”. And we all know that more time at the office does not mean more results. In fact, it often means fewer results and more mistakes.



Build some "white space" in your life. Build reserves of time. Create more-than-enough time to do the things you want and need to do.



Let's get something straight first. Building a reserve of something you need in your life is only one part of the puzzle. The other piece is to identify what is draining your reserves. If you're pouring into the top of a leaky bucket, you won't make much progress. 



Let's look at how to create reserves of time. Many of my new coaching clients complain of having too little time. Their "time tank" is running on empty, so they feel uptight, frustrated, flustered,  pulled in every direction, and tired. Often, this is the first thing we work on together. Clearly, a reserve of time would reduce the stress. So, how do you do it?



Start by plugging the leaks. Let go of some of the activities that are consuming your time. Many of today's high performers seem to have a common thread: the "Superman/Superwoman" ideal; i.e., Taking on everything and trying to get it done by tomorrow.



Success or failure often seems to be measured by the state of "busyness". Face it; you can't do justice to everything at once and you often don't have perspective of all you have going on. It's like tossing another ball to the juggler...33 at once for the average busy executive. Focus on what counts. Take aggressive action to let go. Here are some possibilities:



Let go of tasks that someone else can do - Good delegation is a key skill for managers, yet the average manager spends 45% of his or her time on tasks that could be done by a staffer. "I can do it better and faster", you say. Sure you can, but ultimately, you are judged on what you can cause to happen, not just what you can do on your own. As a general rule of thumb, in non-critical cases, if another person can accomplish a task 80% as well as you, delegate. 



Let go of your need to say "Yes" to every request - Those around you will give you all the work you are willing to take. This is true in both our business and personal lives. Some of the most stressed people around can't say no to the next fund-raiser, the next committee, the Little League, the church, etc., etc., etc. Politely, but firmly say “No”. Examine all the organizations where you spend your time. Which ones can you "let go"?



Let go of some meetings - The typical manager spends 17 hours each week in meetings plus 6.3 hours getting ready for those meetings. Nearly a third of that time in meetings is wasted. That works out to be about six full weeks of the year of useless meeting time. You've seen the symptoms: hastily called meetings, no ending time stated, no agenda, no official record of what was done or said, no followup. If even one hour per week is saved, it could mean two additional effective workdays per year!

 Skip some of the meetings or send someone else.



Let go of interruptions - Interruptions can drain 1-2 hours a day. Rather than spend time with anyone who happens to stop by, close the door, turn off the phone or work from home one day each week. 



Let go of the clutter - Is your desk or credenza piled with pending and unfinished work that will be done when you "get around to it?" The average businessperson spends 3 hours each week looking for things plus 2 hours being distracted by the stuff lying around. The most effective people work from a clean desk. Having an uncluttered desk helps you stay focused on your most important  project.



Let go of useless tasks - quit doing some of the routine things you do just because "that's what I've always done". Practice good priority management. Plan each day to stay focused on those  tasks that will move you toward your goals. Watch for tasks that can be delegated or simply dropped. 



Let go of "Crises management" - Ever feel that you're leaving a trail of unfinished projects, unreturned phone calls, unread mail, partially completed reports? Crises arise from a job we left  unfinished to work on another unfinished task. Another term  for crisis management is "fire fighting." 

Most of this is really caused by losing focus of true priorities. Learn to tell the difference between "urgent" and "important".



Bottom line... Many people pay a heavy price for their success - poor health, failed marriages, neglected friendships, no self-development in any area except business. Start today to plug the leaks and create ample reserves of time for yourself.



Let go!


© 1997 - 2009 BizSuccess All rights reserved. No duplication

One of my clients is a brilliant commercial real estate broker and developer in Birmingham, Alabama. Len is very successful by any measure.

During our meeting this week, Len was describing the way he can drive by a piece of property and instantly see, in his mind's eye, the possibilities for that land. He is able to imagine all the possible uses of the property and instantly select the one that would produce the highest and best value.

The most amazing part of this is that Len can do this in a blink of an eye. And, for Len, it is effortless. He just knows. Other brokers and developers focus on the technical aspects of the property, the zoning, the topography, the financial details and so on. While these things are important (Len is good at these as well), the real magic that Len brings to the table is his innate ability to visualize the property being used in its most valuable form.

My sister, Lana, has an amazing musical ear. Lana can listen to a song on the radio one time, then sit down at her piano and play the song perfectly and beautifully. I just don't know how she can do that! And she has been able to do that since she was a child.

It's magical.

When I talk to Len about his ability and with Lana about her talent, they both told me the same thing. They said that it was easy. They just couldn't understand why other people can't do the same feat.

For Lana and Len, and for you and me, the special ability (the magic) seems so easy, it feels "normal".

Everyone has a natural aptitude in something. You, too, have a special "gift". You may be especially good at working with numbers, drawing pictures, teaching children, growing plants or caring for those less fortunate than you. Your special talent may involve music, athletic ability, empathy, writing, or working with your hands.

Chances are, you don't even recognize your own aptitude. You might think that all of us can see and appreciate the subtleties of color the same as you. You may not get that some of us are not as graceful as you. You might believe that all people are able to effortlessly grow a beautiful garden.

The truth is that we are all very different. You are able to do some things better than I can. And, I can do some things better than you.

Remember in school, when you signed up for subjects in which you were already knowledgeable? How did this make you feel? "Great! This is going to be easy."

What advice did you get from your counselors? Probably, they recommended you take classes where you were weakest. What a drag!

While learning new subjects is a great idea, striving to develop weaknesses can work against you. Conventional wisdom says we should work on improving our weaknesses. This is a terrible waste of time, talent and opportunity.

Imagine what would have happened if Chopin, Einstein, Chris Evert, or Pavarotti had followed that advice. All these people devoted their life to developing their natural strengths. As a result, they each were tops in their field.

Highly successful entrepreneurs, as well as top scientists, artists, athletes and entertainers throughout history have achieved greatness by focusing on their areas of strength.

How do you discover your natural talents? First, notice those things that you do that seem easy for you. These are the things that you can do that seem almost effortless. Often, the tasks that are easy for us are those where we have a special aptitude.

Next, make note of those things you do where time just seems to fly by. When you are doing these activities, you may look up and realize that hours have passed without you even realizing it. This is a good clue to activities where you have natural talent.

Finally, consider all the activities that make you happy. These are things that make you smile. These are the tasks you would do just for yourself, with no promise of gain, just because they're fun, interesting and fulfilling.

Look through the three lists to find the common activities. These are likely to be the areas of your natural aptitude and talent; your magic. These are the areas of greatest potential for you. Imagine if you could spend most of your time developing and playing at something that makes you happy, where time flies and where it's easy for you. Wow!

Don't get caught up in the old advice to work on your weaknesses. Hire someone who is good where you are weak. Delegate tasks that you don't enjoy to others who do enjoy those things. Automate the repetitious tasks. Contract out the chores that you are not great at doing.

No matter how hard you try, it is unlikely you will ever be more than average in areas where you do not have an aptitude. Always working on your weaknesses undermines your self-esteem since you will focus mostly on your deficiencies.

On the other hand, working to develop your natural talents is self-rewarding and motivating. Pursuing your talents allows you to continually realize higher and higher levels of ability, achievement and success. Invest your time and energy in being great at something. Really great. Discover your magical talent. You will be happier. And the recipients of your work, your customers, will reward you for your excellence. What a combination; doing what you love and people pay you for it!

Experience the immense satisfaction that comes with being superb at something.

Find the magic!

© 1997 - 2009 BizSuccess, Inc. All rights reserved. No duplication

Having a positive attitude toward your business and toward life in general may be one of the most important characteristics of successful people. In my years of experience as a Business Coach, I have observed many successful entrepreneurs. With very few exceptions, those who are successful and happy have developed and maintained a positive outlook.

A positive attitude is not accidental. Successful entrepreneurs know how to create a positive attitude and positive motivation for themselves. They don't just wait for it to happen. That would be like wanting a drink of milk, then sitting in a pasture, waiting for a cow to back up to you.

By the way, having a positive attitude is not the same as blind optimism. I am not suggesting that you ignore the challenges in your life. I AM suggesting that you just not dwell there. What do successful entrepreneurs do to develop and maintain their positive attitude?

First, they know what's important. They have carefully determined what counts in their business and personal life. Highly successful people have clearly articulated values for your business in the areas of: customer service, employee relationships, cash flow, productivity, image and growth.

Why is this significant? The past few decades have seen enormous and accelerating changes in technology and social structure, in geopolitics and especially in the organizations in which we work. The pace of change is staggering and daunting. The mass of information available to humankind is doubling every 20 months. You make up to 1000 decisions per day. The time-to-market for new products and services is dropping fast. This is truly "Life in the Fast Lane".

In the midst of all this turmoil, you can't do everything. It is important to focus on a few things that you can do well. Someone once asked the great football coach, Vince Lombardi, to describe his offensive strategy. He said "to knock down all the opposing players". When asked about his defensive strategy, he said "to knock down all the opposing players". He said "if we do those two things well, all our other plans fall into place.

Knowing that we are working on the right things is a great boost to our positive attitude. In times of great change and ambiguity, how do we stay focused on the right things, unless we know what are the right things. Our business values help guide us.

Another way that successful entrepreneurs maintain their positive attitude is they talk to themselves. The things we say to ourselves influence our feelings and our attitude.
Once, there were two shoe salesmen sent to a faraway land to sell shoes. After the first day, one sent back a telegram saying "This place is a disaster! No one wears shoes!". The other salesperson also sent a telegram. His message was " This place is a gold mine! No one wears shoes!".

Being aware of what you say to yourself inside your head (self-talk) will help you adjust your attitude. Many people beat themselves up when things go awry. When you berate yourself and tell yourself that you are "stupid" or "useless" or "an idiot", naturally you begin to feel negative about yourself, your business, the people around you and even life itself.
Mistakes are the fuel of creativity. Everyone makes mistakes. Smart entrepreneurs LEARN from their mistakes and move on.

Try positive affirmations in place of negative self talk. When things get a little tense, just say to yourself "I can do this" or "We'll find a way to make this work" or "Let's concentrate on a solution, not who caused the problem".

Successful entrepreneurs keep their positive attitude by being careful about who they hang out with. There are always others who will readily tell you that "it can't be done" and " you'll never make it". Surround yourself with supporters. Good supporters will help you work on contingency plans and help you work around challenges without pounding you with discouragement. Avoid the "aint-it-awful" club.

Every weekday afternoon in America, between the hours of 4:00pm and 7:00pm, there are people sitting around bars and lounges talking about how bad the world is. They bemoan the economy, the competition, the government, the company, the weather, blah, blah, blah. And they call this "HAPPY HOUR!" Don't join the "pity party".
Successful entrepreneurs also develop their positive attitudes because they feed on progress. At the end of each day, instead of recounting all the difficulties and all that remains undone, write your accomplishments. End each day on a positive note by jotting down the three best things that happened this day.

Often, there is no one around to acknowledge your achievements, especially those little ones that happen in the course of the day. By focusing a few minutes on your accomplishments, you give yourself a little pat on the back and recognize progress, even when small.

Successful entrepreneurs take charge of the quality of their lives. A recent study showed only 4% of people enjoy both their work life and personal life. Many people have made financial objectives their sole concern and have paid a heavy price for their success - poor health, failed marriages, neglected friendships, no personal development in any area except business.
Financial success, no matter how great, can never compensate for poor quality of life. A properly functioning business is supposed to be the servant of a full and satisfying life that includes good health, close and loving relationships, recreation, culture, and a powerful contribution to the community.

The successful entrepreneur develops a personal life that is multi-dimensional. How? The solution is to take time away from your business. Free time makes you sharper. Free time provides the rejuvenation you need to restore your confidence and sense of well-being. You come back from time off with a new perspective, a higher energy level, increased creativity, and often, a breakthrough idea.

When things get busy or when business gets tough, its easy to let your attitude slip. Yet, this is when you most need your positive attitude. Your attitude influences your actions. When you really need positive action, remember that "it's all in your head". Enjoy the journey!


© 1997 - 2009 BizSuccess All rights reserved. No duplication

For many people, one of life's terrors is to make a speech. Gulp! Scary as it sounds, it's important for anyone to be able to make an effective presentation whether it's to a handful of people around a conference table or to an auditorium of a thousand faces.

Being able to speak can mean making a sale, talking top management into approving your plan, persuading the town council to adopt an important measure or sharing information with your Association. Bottom line, it could determine whether you get that promotion, make the sale or establish your point-of-view!

Speaking in front of a group doesn't have to be a life-threatening experience. Let's look at how to approach making a speech step by step.

First, the audience. Who are they? Why are they there? What are they interested in? How much do they already know about your subject? Ask questions until you have these answers and are clear about your listeners. The more you know about them, the more comfortable you will be when in front of them.

Now, your topic. Presumably, you were asked to speak in the first place in the hope that you would be able to share information about a topic you know something about. Still, you'll want to do your homework. The more you sweat in advance, the less you'll sweat on stage. Research your topic thoroughly. Go to the library to find current facts, recent articles on the subject and good quotations. Interview other experts to round out your material.

In short, gather more information than you'll possibly be able to use in your speech. Imagine the self-confidence at your presentation when you know that "there's lots more where that came from".

The best speakers make their presentations sound spontaneous and conversational even when they are memorized. The way they do this is to learn the speech in outline form, instead of word for word. Your outline should contain the Opening, the Message and the Wrap up.

Your opening remarks set the tone of the whole presentation. Audiences make up their minds very quickly. The purpose of your opening is to grab attention. We must assume that our audience is generally as busy and preoccupied as we are. So we first need to get their attention with a question, 'grabber' words, humor or an interesting visual.

Using a question as an opener causes the listener to stop and think. "How many new prospects do you want today?" "When do you want to feel good again?" Once you have their attention, your message can help them answer the question.

"Grabber" words are designed to startle, shock or at least cause your listener to want to listen to what's coming next. The first sentence of this article is an example. A funny comment or an eye-catching visual is always an effective way to get the attention of your listeners in a hurry. Obviously, any of these openings must be relevant to your message, or they will confuse your listeners.

Once you have their attention, it's time to relate your main message. Organize your main points around only one or two main messages. It's helpful for you to ask yourself "what do I want these people to be thinking or doing as a result of my presentation?". As you make your points, you can keep relating back to the main message.

Most professional speakers say it's best to flow the presentation from the general to the more specific and from the known to the unknown. This is how you avoid losing your audience.

If you're presenting statistics, facts or numbers, try to avoid spewing them all at once. Space them out. Even better, relate the facts and figures to something familiar. Instead of saying "twenty percent of you will .....", say "One in five of you will ...".

The Wrap up of your speech is where you "ask for the order". This is where you summarize the main points in a sentence or two, then state your main message. If you are asking for a decision, urging action or leaving them with a key thought in mind, now is the time to do it.

Once you have prepared your speech, write the key points in outline form or on 3" x 5" index cards. This will help to prompt you through your speech without sounding as if you are reading it word for word.

In the days leading up to your speech, practice, practice, practice. Stand in front of a full-length mirror and give your speech. Tape yourself, then replay the tape listening for poor grammar and filler words such as "Ah", "Uh" or "You know".

On the day of your speech, arrive early so you can walk around the stage, look out on the room where you'll be speaking, test the microphone, adjust the lights, and in general, increase your feeling of readiness.

Before it's your turn to take the podium, breathe deeply and focus all your attention on your message. We feel nervous and anxious when we think about ourselves. Think about the content of your message and especially, on the first two or three sentences of your presentation.

Once you've been introduced, walk to the podium, pause for a deep breath, smile, then begin. Pick out three or four people in the audience who are in different sectors of the room and talk to them. Pick out people who seem to be having a good time.

Keep an eye on the time. Surprisingly, time will pass quickly when you are presenting. You don't want to overstay your welcome. From time to time, during your talk, pause for a beat or two to let important points sink in. This also lets your audience catch up with you as they think about what you're saying.

What you say last is likely to be what is remembered longest, so don't finish with "that's all I have to say". Instead, end on a note of intensity. Choose a quotation, anecdote or line that leaves the audience laughing or thoughtful. Think of this last sentence as the one that will invoke applause.

Speaking of applause, you may just discover how much you enjoy the sweet sound of applause and encouragement. It can be almost addictive.

Speak up!

© 1997 - 2009 BizSuccess Inc. All rights reserved. No duplication

We all have messes in our lives. If you have stacks of paper around your desk, you have a mess. When you procrastinate on an incomplete project, it is a mess. Each time you drag out making an important decision, you have another mess.

Messes are situations of disorder, conflict and incompletion. Consciously and subconsciously, your mind keeps coming back to these messes. They cause you to be distracted, lose energy, break concentration and reduce your confidence. These loose ends can include finances, relationships, your workspace, physical well-being, agreements and legal contracts.

We don't create a mess on purpose. It just happens. We get busy and put off making that important change in our office. We dread taking that unpleasant action and delay it again and again. We allow an off-hand comment to go without a response because we don't want to deal with a confrontation.

On each of these occasions, we leave behind a situation that is unresolved. Throughout the day, day after day, week after week, our minds wander back to the mess. Because your mind keeps processing this complication, you do not fully concentrate on the truly important work at hand. Often, self-doubt sets in, causing us to question ourselves. All this eats up your energy and can make you feel weary. When you hear people say they are mentally exhausted, you can bet they have messes.

When you clean up an unresolved predicament, it stops stealing brain cycles. When you resolve the situation, you can move on to new opportunities. Each time you clean up a mess, you increase concentration, confidence and energy.

So how do you go about this cleanup? Here are a few tips... The first requirement is to recognize the messes. So often, we keep plugging away at our lives without realizing that we're devoting lots of time and energy just coping with all these unresolved issues. In my business coaching practice, I'll frequently see clients lugging around twenty or thirty messes that are complicating their lives. When we begin articulating these loose ends, we often discover that some can be cleaned up in a matter of hours or even minutes.

Here's a good exercise to start making you consciously aware of your cleanup opportunities. On a piece of paper, draw two lines that divide the sheet of paper into four sections. In one section, write down all the projects that you have started, but not yet completed. This should include small and large projects at home and at the office.

In another section, note the projects you have not started yet. These are the ones that you have been thinking about or considering, but have not taken any action. Use the third section for tasks that you are not doing, but want to start. These may include things like blocking off some quiet time each day, call a few key clients, write a letter, balance the checkbook, exercise or read to your children.

In the fourth section of your sheet of paper, identify the things you would like to change. This may include tasks you would like to stop doing, the organization of your staff, your working hours, or the technology you have in place.

Everything you have written in the four sections of this paper represent an opportunity for cleanup. Some may be quick and easy. Do those right away. Others may take awhile. Choose one or two to tackle this month. If you clean up a mess a month, you will see and feel a tremendous difference in your attitude, energy and ability to focus.

Here's another exercise that will help eliminate the messes. On another sheet of paper, write down the things that you are tolerating. We all have things we are putting up with. We endure that sticky computer key because we don't want to bother fixing it. We condone an insolent staffer because it's so much trouble to replace them. We allow a supplier to make consistently late deliveries because we don't want the confrontation.

Most of us discover that we have quite a list of tolerations. There are two ways to remove a toleration from the list. One way is to decide once and for all that we really want it this way. We prefer it. We embrace this situation and are happy the way it is.

The other way to get a toleration off the list is to take action. Don't put up with it anymore. Do something about it. Get rid of the problem. Notice that I don't say this is easy. Some of these things have been around a long time and take some work and tough decisions to fix. Yet, here again, when you stop abiding by unacceptable situations, you increase your peace of mind, concentration, confidence and energy.

Clearly, cleaning up messes and eliminating the things you tolerate are major steps toward simplifying your life at work and at home. The world is a complicated, messy place in which to live. Don't make it any harder by piling on more obstacles.

Take stock of your opportunities for cleanup. Take action to simplify your life. Clean up those loose ends. Target a mess a month and feel your energy and attitude soar.

© 1997 - 2009 BizSuccess, Inc. All rights reserved. No duplication