Hello!
We hope you enjoy
our August issue.
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Go
for it!
Quote |
“If what you’re working for really
matters, you’ll give it all you’ve got.”
- Nido Qubein
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Corner Goal |
You can only turn your passions and
dreams into reality by setting and reaching your goals. Decide what you
want, what you’re going to do to get it, write it down and start doing
it. Don’t take it lightly. Live your life “on purpose”.
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Are you
looking for kid gloves or tough love?
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It's an important question, and one that I
wish all of my clients would consider carefully BEFORE they consider
hiring me as a coach, consultant, goal-setting expert and
accountability partner. |
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The majority of my clients are up-and-coming
businesses that are about to burst out of the small business
model and enter "not quite corporate yet" status. For them, it's
vitally important that someone – anyone – be direct and honest
about what it's going to take to stay on track towards their
goals.
Planning and goal setting are a very important part of that
process. After all, nobody plans to fail, but many fail to plan.
So I work with them to create a picture of the ideal future of
their business – one, three, five or even ten years down the
line.
Commitment
But if that's the only help an organization is seeking, I've
learned (the hard way) that it’s best for me not to assist in
what I call "drive by" planning. I will usually say thank you
very much and then move on to find my perfect client. All too
often I am asked to come into an organization to help create an
ideal planning scenario without what I consider a rock solid
commitment to stay on track, follow-through, and not fall right
back into the day-to-day routines that keep an organization
exactly back where they started.
My business model includes a commitment to stick around to help
you put your new procedures, policies and daily practices in
place, and also to give you the occasional nudge (or hot poker)
to remind you to follow them and give them a chance to start
working.
I know how easy it is to get distracted by bright, shiny
opportunities. We talked about that in the June article, "Be the
best at what you do best." From the outside, watching an
organization fall prey to this BSO syndrome is kind of like
watching a news headlines channel – things change by the minute!
Tough Love
Early in my career, I sometimes hesitated to deliver the tough
love that I knew organizations and leaders needed. I found
myself kind of tip-toeing around, trying to find the absolute
best way to deliver my message effectively. But I discovered
that was just me stalling – that was me not taking my own advice
to take action.
I learned (again the hard way) that it was not until I pushed
them a little harder and told some of the tough truths about
them and their organization that we had a breakthrough. When a
client tells me I'm “tough”, to me that’s a huge compliment.
That means I'm doing my job to dish out the truth, advice and
solutions that I was hired to supply.
There are people around the world right now who see that the
organization they belong to has strayed from the path that will
take them to their goals; who see that they are getting
distracted by bright, shiny opportunities; who have a
challenging message to deliver. Maybe you are that person.
In my own business experience, I've been that person. I've been
the one stating the truth that no one else wanted to or was
willing to talk about or recognize. To use a famous metaphor
from a Hans Christian Anderson story, I broke the news that the
emperor has no clothes.
It is my mission to help organizations create a culture where
the leadership is open to receiving this kind of tough love.
There are no hidden rules or expectations that anyone will be
treated with kid gloves. It’s when people within these
organizations tell me, “thanks”, and “you really made us take a
tough look at ourselves”, that I get my true reward.
The gloves are off – are you up for the challenge?
Making a commitment
What are you willing to commit to getting done in the next month,
by the time you open up your copy of next month’s newsletter?
Make that promise to yourself, and if you really want to achieve
it, commit it to someone else as well.
Would you like to sit down with me for a few minutes and get
started on your daily, weekly and monthly actions? Visit my
website today to send me a message and we’ll coordinate a time
that works best for both of us to focus on what’s best for you.
Keeping the Main Thing
the Main Thing. Go For It!
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For over
15
years,
Mark
Ford
has
been
assisting
top
level
executives
and
business
leaders
increase
individual
and
organizational
performance,
as
well
as
improve
communication,
leadership
and
motivation. |
As
a successful coach, speaker, trainer
and consultant, Mark empowers
his clients to be the heroes of
their own lives, find their true
path, define their own success,
live with passion, and make this
life
count. |
Executive
and
Leader
Coaching
• Management
Development
• Marketing • Business
Planning • Team
Building • Customer
Service
Training • Communications
Training • Sales
Force
Development • Project
Management • Media
Relations |
|
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