Six SanitySaving Scenarios to Turn a Massive Breakdown into a Powerful Business Breakthrough
Six SanitySaving Scenarios to Turn a Massive Breakdown into a Powerful Business Breakthrough
It got me thinking how a client of mine had shared a great story about their direct mail marketing campaign. A lot of money had been invested in buying a list of qualified candidates. But every step of the way there was breakdown in the process - the guy who formatted the list didn't set it up right, the assistant didn't have the proper envelopes, and they had no postage when they needed it. My client laughed as he told me this, but I knew he was frustrated!
Well, I've learned over the years that a breakdown means that something very valuable is happening - I have new insight into how I can improve my process, my attitude, or my belief so that problem never happens again.
Let's look at a few examples of how breakdowns can occur in our business or life.
- A business partnership goes from the honeymoon phase to the divorce phase, all from a simple miscommunication around "who is doing what" with the budget.
- After training your new team for six months, you realize a key person continues to not follow through on your requests in a timely manner. You are worried you may have to let them go, even though they seemed like a perfect fit at the interview.
- Many late nights and nose-to-the-grind-stone days later, you realize that your big speaking debut will not be flawless because your brochures and products did not get shipped by the supplier.
- A wonderful new client suddenly becomes a nightmare when they keep adding new deliverables to the project agreement - but don't want to pay you any additional money.
These are typical scenarios that many of my clients and associates have experienced. What I have noticed is there can be a difference in how people handle these types of breakdowns. Some people might freak out, scream and yell, and blame everyone else for the breakdown. That tends to be the "victim-mentality" type who struggle in life. The "success-oriented" type is the one who says, "OK, how can I make my process better?" Here are Six Sanity-Saving Scenarios that can turn that breakdown into a breakthrough.
1. Strengthen Communication. When you have a miscommunication with someone, it is usually a sign that someone "assumed" something along the way. Make sure that you use the "listen first, speak second, confirm your message last" method to make sure everyone is on the same page.
2. Delegate Effectively. There are 3 key elements for effective delegation to your virtual assistant: what you want, when it is due, and how to communicate completion. If you miss one of these steps, you will most likely have problems with the tasks you delegate. In the Virtual Team Building Telebootcamp, we spend quite a bit of time on this subject as it seems to be a big area for breakdowns!
3. Improve Skills. Often times, when something is not done properly, it is because the person doesn't know how to do it. Find out what skills, education or training they need so they can complete the job properly.
4. Improve Your System. If the skills are there, then most likely the system (or the process to complete it) is broken. Identify in writing using a checklist, flow chart or written request what exactly needs to be done. Make sure that every element that can impact the quality of the end result is included.
5. Slow Down. Ever heard the saying that someone is like a "bull in a china shop?" That means they are racing forward breaking everything in their path. Often people move so fast they leave a massive path of carnage - including their teams, their clients and their families - in the wake. Even in the Fast-Track Mastermind where we focus on speed implementation, the key is remembering Rome was not built in a day.
6. Be a Leader. If you feel like mutiny on the bounty, perhaps your virtual team doesn't understand the vision anymore. Being a leader is inspiring others to support and follow your vision. If they aren't following, you are not leading. Revitalize the vision - it will work wonders.
The bottom line is that life happens and breakdowns will occur. We have all heard the saying, "breakdown, breakthrough." Well it is true. I have experienced enough adversity in my life to fill an ocean liner. It is up to us to choose to respond to these situations with a positive attitude to make them work for us - not against us. So take those challenging situations and look for the opportunity to strengthen your personal mindset and your business systems.
Now, it's your turn. How will you take a breakdown in your life and turn it into a breakthrough? I encourage you to take note of where the problems occur and brainstorm with your team, your family, or your friends to come up with possible "breakthroughs!"
Six SanitySaving Scenarios to Turn a Massive Breakdown into a Powerful Business Breakthrough - To learn more about this author, visit Melanie Benson Strick's Website.
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There I was. Depressed, frustrated, and overwhelmed. Despite my best efforts to have a smooth running ship and organize my event, I realized I had a significant breakdown in my process. I admit, it wasn't the end of the world, but come on, I teach this stuff! It was one week before we went live on our new program, we were preparing the workbooks for production, and I realized, no one ordered the right tabs! Yikes!
It got me thinking how a client of mine had shared a great story about their direct mail marketing campaign. A lot of money had been invested in buying a list of qualified candidates. But every step of the way there was breakdown in the process - the guy who formatted the list didn't set it up right, the assistant didn't have the proper envelopes, and they had no postage when they needed it. My client laughed as he told me this, but I knew he was frustrated!
Well, I've learned over the years that a breakdown means that something very valuable is happening - I have new insight into how I can improve my process, my attitude, or my belief so that problem never happens again.
Let's look at a few examples of how breakdowns can occur in our business or life.
- A business partnership goes from the honeymoon phase to the divorce phase, all from a simple miscommunication around "who is doing what" with the budget.
- After training your new team for six months, you realize a key person continues to not follow through on your requests in a timely manner. You are worried you may have to let them go, even though they seemed like a perfect fit at the interview.
- Many late nights and nose-to-the-grind-stone days later, you realize that your big speaking debut will not be flawless because your brochures and products did not get shipped by the supplier.
- A wonderful new client suddenly becomes a nightmare when they keep adding new deliverables to the project agreement - but don't want to pay you any additional money.
These are typical scenarios that many of my clients and associates have experienced. What I have noticed is there can be a difference in how people handle these types of breakdowns. Some people might freak out, scream and yell, and blame everyone else for the breakdown. That tends to be the "victim-mentality" type who struggle in life. The "success-oriented" type is the one who says, "OK, how can I make my process better?" Here are Six Sanity-Saving Scenarios that can turn that breakdown into a breakthrough.
1. Strengthen Communication. When you have a miscommunication with someone, it is usually a sign that someone "assumed" something along the way. Make sure that you use the "listen first, speak second, confirm your message last" method to make sure everyone is on the same page.
2. Delegate Effectively. There are 3 key elements for effective delegation to your virtual assistant: what you want, when it is due, and how to communicate completion. If you miss one of these steps, you will most likely have problems with the tasks you delegate. In the Virtual Team Building Telebootcamp, we spend quite a bit of time on this subject as it seems to be a big area for breakdowns!
3. Improve Skills. Often times, when something is not done properly, it is because the person doesn't know how to do it. Find out what skills, education or training they need so they can complete the job properly.
4. Improve Your System. If the skills are there, then most likely the system (or the process to complete it) is broken. Identify in writing using a checklist, flow chart or written request what exactly needs to be done. Make sure that every element that can impact the quality of the end result is included.
5. Slow Down. Ever heard the saying that someone is like a "bull in a china shop?" That means they are racing forward breaking everything in their path. Often people move so fast they leave a massive path of carnage - including their teams, their clients and their families - in the wake. Even in the Fast-Track Mastermind where we focus on speed implementation, the key is remembering Rome was not built in a day.
6. Be a Leader. If you feel like mutiny on the bounty, perhaps your virtual team doesn't understand the vision anymore. Being a leader is inspiring others to support and follow your vision. If they aren't following, you are not leading. Revitalize the vision - it will work wonders.
The bottom line is that life happens and breakdowns will occur. We have all heard the saying, "breakdown, breakthrough." Well it is true. I have experienced enough adversity in my life to fill an ocean liner. It is up to us to choose to respond to these situations with a positive attitude to make them work for us - not against us. So take those challenging situations and look for the opportunity to strengthen your personal mindset and your business systems.
Now, it's your turn. How will you take a breakdown in your life and turn it into a breakthrough? I encourage you to take note of where the problems occur and brainstorm with your team, your family, or your friends to come up with possible "breakthroughs!"
Six SanitySaving Scenarios to Turn a Massive Breakdown into a Powerful Business Breakthrough - To learn more about this author, visit Melanie Benson Strick's Website.
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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