Category: leadership

The Obstacle is the Way

Posted on by Don Vanpool

Often in our professional lives we face obstacles or issues that inhibit our progress in a project or big career move. That obstacle is often a feeling we get when we have an idea that is rejected, a colleague questions our approach or a manager wonders aloud if we really are solving the issue assigned. And all too often we simply ignore this feeling and it becomes an obstacle to progress. It could be that feeling in our gut that we just aren’t good enough or that imposter syndrome that shows up all too often. And it is this obstacle that truly becomes the way to success. It is this very consistent feeling we chose to ignore that can be the learning we need to move forward with our big plans for that next promotion or to start a business.

There are some simple steps to leverage this feeling or obstacle into the deep learning that will move you forward.

-Recognize and name the feeling
-Bore deep into the emotion and make it more real
-Realize you can spend time with the negative emotion
-Recognize the energy you release
-Create a strategy to move forward each time this feeling arises

Recognize and name the feeling

It is that obstacle in our way that hinders action that will forward our own agenda. It can be that feeling you get when a colleague dismisses an idea you have or the way you are managing a big project at work. It can be as simple as a loss of confidence or questioning our own capabilities. Or maybe you were not the one selected for a big promotion or job at work that would have moved you forward in your career. And now the disappointment is creating a lack of action and a lack of confidence. Recognize that emotion and name it to make it even more real.

Bore deep

And now the key is to stay with that emotion and bore deep into what that feeling truly is and make it more real with a simple metaphor. The dismissal of my idea feels like a punch to the gut or not getting that job has created an empty void that cannot be filled. The half-life of that emotion can be much shorter when we simply spend the time recognizing it exists and focusing at a deeper level.

Empower yourself by spending time with the obstacle or negative emotion

When we ignore the obstacle, it does not remove itself or cease to exist. Indeed, this obstacle is often the way to move our own agenda forward as a person or a business executive. When we allow ourselves to recognize this state of our mind and to truly focus on what is created, we realize we are fully capable of creating strategies to move beyond the obstacle and it begins to lose its meaning. We are not only stronger than we think we are, we have many more resources at our disposal than we ever realized. More importantly we can learn to use this to shift our energy into a much more positive space and make the obstacle the key to our success.

Create a strategy

We will not remove these emotions from our daily lives, however by creating a strategy to truly work with them and move forward will be both liberating and transformative. It can be as simple as writing down the instances where they occur and then a simple journal each morning about how you felt and the actions you can take. Or any number of other very straight forward examples. And then the obstacle truly is the way.

Whether you are working on a promotion, a new job or trying to grow your business, you will face these obstacles from time to time. The key is to feel comfortable being with them. It is developing the muscle to make them the path to success and empowering yourself to grow and succeed that is the learning.

P.S. If you are looking to make a transformation in your life or business, schedule a complimentary meeting with me and we can conduct a 30 minute discovery session to determine our fit as partners in your life’s journey.

P.S.S.  Also remember, to determine how likely your marketing is to convert, simply fill out my Conversion Equation Evaluator.

This evaluator has the unprecedented ability to predict the future success of any marketing collateral you develop… as well as predict whether that marketing will be profitable or not. And, it’s 100% free to use!

After calculating your marketing conversion level, I can show you exactly what to do with your website and marketing collateral that could double or triple the number of prospects who respond to your marketing.

 

 

 

How You Can Make Life Changing Breakthroughs and Live the Life of Your Dreams

Posted on by Don Vanpool

Often when I coach business owners or executives the real coaching isn’t the topic they bring, the real coaching is around what has them stuck in inaction. Some of the more obvious answers are not what we need to work through; it is what is below the surface that really is the issue. The above the iceberg discussion around finding a job or prioritizing business initiatives really is simply a symptom of what lies below. Generally, it is aligning to ones values or taking a different perspective that create the actions needed to break out of the rut we are in. Like a deeply grooved album we simply play the same play list over and over whether it serves us or not.

Examples of this could be simply saying yes to numerous projects and not completing any of them to our standards or staying in a job because somehow that feels safer than all the other and numerous possibilities in our lives. And all the while we experience the dissonance that comes from not living the values that are critically important to living a full life.

And this focus and a shift in focus creates the real opportunity of finding a new job that is more in line with our contributions and values. Or truly serving the clients we have and even amplifying that service by referring to others or creating on line content they can access 24X7. And that is the real work that needs to be done through values clarification, dealing with the negative inner voice or changing our perspective

And the key action here is to better understand the purpose and values that makes us truly feel alive. And to create actions that are aligned with a compelling vision of life that are the really critical priorities to move you forward toward your goals. Taking different perspectives, making choices, creating a strategy and making a commitment to action.

If you are looking to make a transformation in your life or business schedule a complimentary meeting with me and we can conduct a 30 minute discovery session to determine our fit as partners in your life’s journey.

To Your Success

Don

 

 

How to Always be Present and Make an Impact

Posted on by Don Vanpool

This week marks the first anniversary of my last day in the “office”. On that day 1 year ago, I did not know it was my last day or that as I left I would never return. That everything in my office would be a time capsule for how I left that evening. Or that I would never see my work teams again in person; or in some cases never see them again. Mindfulness and being present are hot topics in our business communities and this event brings the concept into focus more than ever

 

This lesson has helped me in many ways in my day to day interactions with colleague, clients and family. Realizing that anything I do could be the last time keeps the importance of mindfulness in sharp focus.

 

This lesson can help an individual stay present in each moment with family or work colleagues. Are you really listening? Are you contributing to your full capacity? Are you really conveying a sense of commitment to the other person? We may not get a second change for any of these things. I don’t believe in regret however I would have acted much differently that day through this lens.

 

And translating this into a business context means giving meetings, coaching sessions and reviews your full attention. Put away the phone and truly listen to others. Contribute as if this is the last time you will have the opportunity to contribute to those in the room. This could mean providing recognition for even seemingly small contributions and coaching on the micro skills necessary to execute on business plans. Act as if this is the last time you will have the opportunity to help your team succeed.

 

Focus on the tangible outcomes as well. Can you add more to ensure goals are met or that people in the room feel appreciated? As you conduct reviews with your team, are you providing the feedback and support they need to hit business goals? As you review plans with your team, your full attention is necessary to give your full weight to the team and leverage your years of experience. You can also get a sense of what is not said and what needs to be said.

 

If you read my blog from last week, you will see notes on how to manage teams remotely. Take those lessons learned and by fully present with your team. And even in a remote, dispersed workforce you can create and execute a strategy that truly set your organization apart.

 

P.S. Also remember, to determine how likely your marketing is to convert, simply fill out my Conversion Equation Evaluator.

This evaluator has the unprecedented ability to predict the future success of any marketing collateral you develop… as well as predict whether that marketing will be profitable or not. And, it’s 100% free to use!

After calculating your marketing conversion level, I can show you exactly what to do with your website and marketing collateral that could double or triple the number of prospects who respond to your marketing.

Just schedule a complimentary meeting with me

 

 

Where the CEO Should Focus Her Time

Posted on by Don Vanpool

     The number one place for the CEO or founder to spend their time is with customers and strategy formulation. This should be the focus 80% of the time and unfortunately the opposite is usually the case. Most often the CEO is fighting fires or dealing with a poor hire. Or maybe the founder is trying to scale a business where processes were not properly developed. Most often this is work that should have been completed before the first $1mm in revenue was realized but now ensure the leader is working 70+ hours every week. So what are the top 5 things that will ensure this is remedied?

 

 

-Develop a capable staff and second in command

-Prioritize key process indicators and assign an owner

-Ensure a strategy is in place and operating rhythms are developed

-Create a process to listen to customers for feedback

-Create a strategy process

 

The primary order of business is to hire and develop key leaders well before you 11themployee. This involves psychometric profiling, developing a network of hiring partners and create a robust process. With this system in place the founder can on-board the most capable executives well before the business starts to scale. With those leaders in the business a developmental plan can be implemented to ensure these leaders are in place and ready to help grow the business and run the day to day operations.

 

From there it is important to ensure the prioritized key process indicators (KPI) and in place to drive the correct behavior and initiatives. It is equally as important to have a clear owner for each KPI. And of course, with a great hiring system in place, you will have the most capable of business leaders to make stellar progress. Your business will have a great sales manager in place owning lead generation, a marketing person that is driving conversion strategies and a manufacturing guru reducing cycle times to drive cash generation.

 

These leaders will consequently own operating rhythms to ensure progress is made on a daily and weekly basis. A quick one hour review daily or weekly, depending on the size of the business, will quickly resolve issues and drive cross-functional accountability. While it will take time for the KPI owner to conduct these reviews, countless hours will be saved by reducing emails, adhoc meetings, and countless voicemails looking for information. These operating meeting should have a clear agenda and a follow up list generated to drive accountability for actions.

 

Now that the CEO is free from the day to day details they can create a customer feedback process with sales, marketing and customer service. Focus either on key customers or work with NPS data to gather valuable product or service feedback and respond with solutions. This will show your customers you value their input and let them know you are continuously improving for their satisfaction. These efforts alone will drive customer affinity and loyalty. This activity should consume a great majority of the CEOs time and provide daily and valuable feedback for business improvement.

 

Finally, the CEO should reserve the balance of the time for strategy creation and execution. Weekly, quarterly and yearly mechanisms should be in the CEOs default calendar to review progress with various levels of leadership depending on the size and complexity of the organization. At least weekly the leader of the company should have an early breakfast meeting with other C leaders in the business to discuss strategy in a more informal manner. On a weekly or monthly basis the CEO can review departmental progress of key strategic initiatives to ensure progress and accountability. This can be combined with quarterly and yearly reviews with a larger portion of their organization to leverage ideas and drive clarity deeper in the organization.

 

The leader of any organization regardless of size must ensure the correct people, processes and tools exist to free them from the day to day grind of business operations. Their role is to work directly with customers and direct the strategy to grow their business to include revenues and gross margins. This infrastructure should be developed early in the life cycle of the company and most certainly before the organization has 50 employees or $1MM in revenues. With this in place the organization can scale and realize double digit growth year over year.

P.S. Also remember, to determine how likely your marketing is to convert, simply fill out my Conversion Equation Evaluator.

This evaluator has the unprecedented ability to predict the future success of any marketing collateral you develop… as well as predict whether that marketing will be profitable or not. And, it’s 100% free to use!

After calculating your marketing conversion level, I can show you exactly what to do with your website and marketing collateral that could double or triple the number of prospects who respond to your marketing.

Just schedule a complimentary meeting with me.

 

 

 

Key Performance Indicators – The only way to properly delegate in your business

Posted on by Don Vanpool

 

A Key Performance Indicator System is one of the most important strategies you can implement in your business if you desire to experience freedom from the operational responsibilities of your company. A Key Performance Indicator System measures and reports the key activities in your business so that everyone knows how their efforts are either making or breaking the business. Without this, it’s impossible for your team to know how the business is running, how they’re doing, and what they need to change.

 

Here’s how it works. Imagine that you have to spend the next few months alone on an island with your cell phone. You’re allowed to make just one 60-minute call per week to just a few people in your company to direct and coach their activity. What numbers (usually 5 to 10) would you like sent to your cell phone at the end of each day to give you a very clear idea of how the day went, how the team performed, and how the business is running? What numbers will give you the basis for coaching your team to run the business effectively in your absence?

 

Here’s a partial list of common KPIs used by most business owners, as organized by business function:

 

Marketing

    1. Leads generated
    2. Cost per lead

Sales

    1. Inbound calls
    2. Appointments set
    3. Appointments conducted
    4. New sales closed
    5. Average sale value
    6. Conversion rate
    7. Revenue generated
    8. Revenue growth rate

Operations

    1. Units produced per hour
    2. Gross profit per unit sold
    3. Product returns
    4. Inventory turns
    5. Average transaction value
    6. Billable hours per employee
    7. Average hourly rate
    8. Customer satisfaction
    9. Customer retention
    10. Revenue per customer

Finance

    1. Current Ratio
    2. Quick ratio
    3. Inventory Days
    4. Accounts Receivable Days
    5. Accounts Payable Days
    6. Gross Profit Margin
    7. Net Profit Margin
    8. Advertising to Sales
    9. Rent to Sales
    10. Payroll to Sales
    11. Interest Coverage Ratio
    12. Debt-to-Equity Ratio
    13. Debt Leverage Ratio
    14. Return on Equity
    15. Return on Assets
    16. Fixed Asset Turnover

Questions to consider as you’re crafting your KPI system:

 

1.  How often you want to review your KPIs? (Daily, weekly)

2.  What key positions and responsibilities do you want to measure? (Review your organizational chart and position descriptions)

3.  What KPIs are important to you? (Numbers, ratios, percentages)

4.  How do you want the information delivered? (Fax, email, text message)

5.  How often will you communicate the KPIs to your team? (Email, bulletin board)

6.  What indicates good performance in this position? What is the goal? How do you measure good performance?

From there the business owner assigns accountability and creates operating rhythms to coach team members. This is the only real way to delegate to your staff and ensure effort is allocated to the 20% of actions driving 80% of your desired outcomes. Consistent actions will drive extraordinary results … Guaranteed!

Don Vanpool

P.S. Also remember, to determine how likely your marketing is to convert, simply fill out my Conversion Equation Evaluator.

This evaluator has the unprecedented ability to predict the future success of any marketing collateral you develop… as well as predict whether that marketing will be profitable or not. And, it’s 100% free to use!

After calculating your marketing conversion level, I can show you exactly what to do with your website and marketing collateral that could double or triple the number of prospects who respond to your marketing.

Just schedule a complimentary meeting with me.

9 Time Tested Principles of Leadership

Posted on by Don Vanpool

There are 9 time-tested principles of leadership that will work for all leaders at every level of an organization. This is the CEO to the newest employee with no direct reports, endeavoring to drive positive change. Print this list, keep it handy and get an accountability partner.

 

  1. Know yourself and embrace life-long learning— understand who you are, your values, priorities, strengths and weaknesses. And have a development plan.
  2. Be the master of your domain — before leaders can lead effectively, they must have mastered the tasks required by the people they lead. In addition, leaders train their people to do their own jobs while understudying the leader so that they are prepared to replace the leader if necessary.
  3. Embrace accountability and take the initiative– Organizational effectiveness depends upon having leaders at all levels that exercise initiative, are resourceful and take opportunities that will lead to goal accomplishment and business success.
  4. Lead by example— people want and need their leaders to be role models. This is a heavy responsibility, but leaders have no choice. No aspect of leadership is more powerful.
  5. Know your people and look out for their welfare — it is not enough to know the names and birth dates of your people. You need to understand what motivates them and what is important to them. Commit time and effort to listen to and learn about them. Keep them updated and informed.
  6. Ensure the mission is understood and teams are held accountable— your team must understand what you want done, to what standard and by when.
  7. Develop a sense of responsibility among your people— people feel a sense of pride and responsibility when they successfully accomplish a new task. Delegation indicates trust in people and encourages them to seek responsibility.
  8. Train cross-functional teams — teamwork is becoming more and more crucial to achieving goals. Teamwork is possible only when people have trust and respect for their leader and for each other as competent professionals and see the importance of their contributions to the organization.
  9. Make sound and timely decisions— leaders must assess situations rapidly and make sound decisions. They need to know when to make decisions themselves, when to consult with people before deciding and when to delegate the decision.

PS. Do not leave this blog until you have a plan of action!

PPS. If you’re looking for a proven system to grow your business …. we created business development software and high-end step by step training to support it…

I can find any business owner $100,000 in 45 minutes without them spending an extra dollar on marketing or advertising.’

Visit me on optaprofit.com to find out how or book time on my calendar https://optaprofit1.youcanbook.me

Don Vanpool … AKA “The King of Cash”