The Secret To Everything

The secret to everything!

Now that the holidays are gone, it’s a good time to look back, see all the things we can be thankful for and focus on the meaning of giving thanks and how it can affect your life. It is a simple word that can change your day in an instant. It can make your day better when you hear it from the lady you help to carry her grocery bags, or when you say it with a smile as someone holds a door for you.

This feeling is a part of human nature, and it is so common that it is often simply ignored. It can be said mechanically without even thinking about its importance. However, a thank you should never be said mechanically, but it should be said from the heart. In the same way, it should not be taken for granted, something that you know should be said, but as something that has been given with the purest intentions. This is a powerful feeling that should be taken into account many times during your everyday life.

Besides the everyday life, a thank you is often said at the workplace. It has the purpose to help employees bond and to help employers express their gratitude. However, there are many companies where people do not understand the true meaning of a real thank you, and therefore many problems start to appear. These companies forget the importance of these two simple words. This begins a slow decline in motivation and employee satisfaction. Turning this around can happen with an acceptance of this simple gesture.  This way they will have more chances to stand out from the competition and ultimately find success. After all, employees need to work in a peaceful environment where they can reach their full potential.

If you own a company, you should try this as soon as possible. You will see that you can easily change the external perception about the workplace you have to offer. An honest thank you causes zero harm, but it will show appreciation and help you motivate your employees. This, in turn, provides an environment where they can perform a better quality job. The most effective way is to apply the power of example. This means that you will have to express your gratitude each time it is warranted or whenever you feel that it is necessary. This, in turn, people will feel appreciated and that their work makes a difference, which keeps them motivated and they will put more into the job. As you can see, this does not require much time or effort, and it drives the organization to become more successful.

Once a person hears a thank you said from the heart, he/she will have a different view regarding the world. After all, people appreciate when someone recognizes their effort. There are many who believe that money represents the gratitude of a company, but this is not true. Money does not have anything in common with the deep emotions transmitted with the help of a true thank you said from the heart. Who will you thank today?

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is a certified business/life coach, the author of Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work as well as an expert on developing leaders and designing strategy for companies. He can be contacted at 817-748-7425 or rick@MyPotentialPlus.com  www.MyPotentialPlus.com 

The BALD TRUTH - Work/Life balance is B*LLSH*!

There’s been a lot of talk and discussion over the past few decades about the work life balance, and today we have companies that provide training in this area and basically teach us a lot of stuff that sounds great but has little to do with reality. So, are we helpless? Is there any way we can achieve a perfect work life balance, perform in our careers and still manage to spend time with our family? Oh, but there is. Of course, at first the “I don’t know what to do” kicks in and we find ourselves trapped in between what we must do, what we have to and what we actually want to do.

Of course, the most important thing is how you approach the situation, how you position yourself in relationship to it and afterwards what you do about it. There’s this powerful saying I agree with completely that says “No man is trapped except in his own mind”. So let’s set things straight and get you out of this mess.

First of all, you need to take a few steps back and look at it from up above, because when work life balance is messed up, you’ve gotten yourself in a little too many details. What is your dream? What do you want to do with your life? What is your true, deep inside calling? This is the starting point and you need to take some time to answer it.

Don’t worry, it will come to you and you will know. Then do a right and rigorous self-assessment of yourself.  What is really important to you? What are the things in your life you couldn’t do without? What are your values? What are the guidelines you have set for your life? Take some time to think about what truly matters for yourself. After you’ve got your answers about your dream, your calling, and your truest values, it’s time to look at your job. Are we talking about the right job fit here? They say that one who loves his work will not work a single day in his life.

Are you that one? Be honest to yourself and at the same time take your time. It’s the perfect time to slow down just a notch, now that things are beginning to look more clear and everything is more obvious and out there. Now it’s time for the right focus to kick in. Start to focus on the things that matter, the things you love to do, focus on your dream, focus on your inner peace and happiness. In the end, these are the things that matter the most.

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is a certified business/life coach, the author of Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work as well as an expert on developing leaders and designing strategy for companies. He can be contacted at 817-748-7425 or   Rick@CoachRickKolster.com 

www.CoachRickKolster.com

The BALD TRUTH - Thank You From the Heart

“Thank you” from the heart

Now that Thanksgiving is gone, it’s a good time to focus on the meaning of giving thanks and how it can affect your life. It is a simple word that can change your day in an instant. It can make your day better when you hear it from the lady you help to carry her grocery bags, or when you say it with a smile as someone holds a door for you.

This feeling is a part of human nature, and it is so common that it is often simply ignored. It can be said mechanically without even thinking about its importance. However, a thank you should never be said mechanically, but it should be said from the heart. In the same way, it should not be taken for granted, something that you know should be said, but as something that has been given with the purest intentions. This is a powerful feeling that should be taken into account many times during your everyday life.

Besides the everyday life, a thank you is often said at the work place. It has the purpose to help employees bond and to help employers express their gratitude. However, there are many companies where people do not understand the true meaning of a real thank you, and therefore many problems start to appear. These companies forget the importance of these two simple words. This begins a slow decline in motivation and employee satisfaction. Turning this around can happen with a acceptance of this simple gesture.  This way they will have more chances to stand out from the competition and ultimately find success. After all, employees need to work in a peaceful environment where they can reach their full potential.

If you own a company, you should try this as soon as possible. You will see that you can easily change the external perception about the work place you have to offer. An honest thank you  causes zero harm, but it will show appreciation and help you motivate your employees. This in turn provides an environment where they can perform a better quality job. The most effective way is to apply the power of example. This means that you will have to express your gratitude each time it is warranted or whenever you feel that it is necessary. This in turn people will feel appreciated and that their work makes a difference, which keeps them motivated and they will put more into the job. As you can see, this does not require much time or effort, and it drives the organization to become more successful.

Once a person hears a thank you, said from the heart, he/she will have a different view regarding the world. After all, people appreciate when someone recognizes their effort. There are many who believe that money represents the gratitude of a company, but this is not true. Money does not have anything in common with the deep emotions transmitted with the help of a true thank you said from the heart. 

Who will you thank today?

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is a certified business/life coach, the author of Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work as well as an expert on developing leaders and designing strategy for companies. He can be contacted at 817-748-7425 or   Rick@CoachRickKolster.com 

www.CoachRickKolster.com 

The BALD TRUTH - Planing to fail? Your call!

Planning to fail.  Your call.

We talked about the three killers of a business.  Number one is lack of cash flow.  Number two is poor leadership and now let’s talk about number three:  LACK OF A STRATEGIC PLAN

Strategic Planning

People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.

Businesses succeed and fail for many different reasons. It might be your commitment to getting out there every day, a new product or service, great marketing, consumer demand and maybe even luck are all a part of the reasons.  All of these contribute to whether a business makes it or fails.  Knowing your vision and mission (why) and designing your strategies to accomplish them (how) are both a part of the strategic plan.

Why should you have a strategic plan?  Here is the reason. Without a plan you will be flying without a rudder and trying anything that is presented to you to make your business grow. As a business owner you will be bombarded with marketing and sales ideas from every conceivable direction. Each one touting it is the best way to grow your business.  To that I say BS!

Do they even understand your business?  Do they know your WHY? Probably NOT! So why would you allow they to tell you how to run your business yet business owners do it every day. Having a strategic plan will give you direction and allow you to make decisions about your business that are in sync with your vision.

What is the process of strategic planning?  It looks simple yet takes time to create.  The components are:

1.    Vison

a.    Why are you in business?  This is your big picture of your potential as a business. This defines the purpose of the company and the plan. It might be called the “quest” of your company. What is your company Why? Do you know it?

2.    Values:

a.    These are foundational to how you will make decisions.  They lay to ethical ground work for your company and its future. This will define the basic beliefs your company, or what your company is committed to. Does your company have clearly defined values?

3.    Mission

a.    A mission statement transforms the vision into specific actions that are necessary to achieve the vision. The mission statement defines and says what you want to achieve in a specific time frame. This gives direction to all in your company and keeps them on track.

4.    Critical Success Factors

a.    These are the meat and potatoes of the plan.  The tactical areas that must be addressed to be successful. They are broad areas such as: Cash flow, marketing, new product development, product quality, customer service. The list can be long. What are your top 3-5 areas that need to be addressed?

5.    Goals

a.    Each area that you come up with will have to have specific measurable goals. This gets you into action.

The plan will also include market research, a SLOT analysis, Sales plan and financial budgets.  Bottom line, if you want to assure your business will have a better chance to grow and prosper.  Design a plan for the future. Call us today.

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is a certified business/life coach, the author of Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work as well as an expert on developing leaders and designing strategy for companies. He can be contacted at 817-748-7425 or   Rick@CoachRickKolster.com 

www.CoachRickKolster.com 

The BALD TRUTH - Are you using protection?

Every day businesses and business owners are susceptible to many attacks and challenges that could devastate their hard work and livelihood.  Are you one of those businesses or owners? A survey by Forbes Magazine showed some interesting facts:  Over 500,000 new businesses are started each month. Almost 40% of these small businesses never make it to their second anniversary. Yet another 55% never make it past 5 years. Only about 1/3^rd make it to 10 years. Why?

Three main killers of a businesses

1.    Lack of cash flow

2.    Poor leadership and customer service

3.    Lack of a strategic plan

Over the next few months I will address each of these three major challenges that business leaders fail to protect themselves from and will kill a business.

Lack of Cash flow.

Starting a new venture takes a bunch of things, one of which is a basic knowledge of business and how to sell your product or service.  Over the past 11 years I have been working with clients to create sustainable and profitable businesses I have found that this is the thing that will kill a business.  So you are probably asking yourself, how this relates to the 3 killers of a business.

Bottom line, no sales, no cash flow, no cash flow, no business. Simple but true.  So often a client has made the decision to step out, start a business based on their technical expertise and has yet to learn how to sell what they do. They also start without enough capital in reserve.  Result.  FAIL!  It has been said and I believe “that nothing happens until a sale is made”.  If no one is selling, I can guarantee tis, no one is buying. 

 

Ok how does lack of cash flow kill a business?  I have learned that cash flow is king and with a consistent flow of cash into a business there is hope. Now if it is a negative cash flow, there is a challenge for sure. When I opened my first restaurant in 1981 we did everything on a shoestring and were literally taking from Peter to pay Paul. What does that mean? What it means is we used cash flow to pay immediate critical bills (electric and staff) while others  (beer and food vendors) we used float time to let our cash reserves replenish to take care of other these less critical expenses. My partner and I became known as the kings of the float.

We would pack the bar out on Thursday Friday and Saturday with happy hour and late night biz.   What that means is we would always write checks late on Friday to the beer and food vendors knowing they would wait until Monday to deposit, giving us three days to use the cash flow and float to keep us going.  Now this just was used as a strategy as we started, once we established the business and we began to see positive cash flow, things smoothed out.  Still I learned that cash flow is king.

So to protect your business, focus first on your cash flow and protect it like a chastity belt protects a virgin. But that's something for another time.  Until next month protect your business and remember cash flow is king.

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is a certified business/life coach, the author of Selling for Geniuses and Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work as well as a motivational speaker on personal growth. He can be contacted at 817-748-7425 or Rick@CoachRickKolster.com www.CoachRickKolster.com

The BALD TRUTH: SH!#% or get off the pot!

Are You Using Protection? Part 2

&@%# or get off the pot!

Last month I promised that I would address each of the three major challenges that business leaders fail to protect themselves from and will kill a business.

In part one we talked about the three killers of a business.  Number one is lack of cash flow.  Well by now I hope you have taken this to heart and begun to watch and manage your cash flow a little better.  This month we will talk about the number two killer of a business, POOR LEADERSHIP.

Leadership

“Leadership is the art of getting someone to do something you want done because they want to do it.” Dwight D. Eisenhower

 How can you get others to do what needs to get done and make sure they are doing it gladly and with enthusiasm?  The answer is very simple.  Have a vision and make it part of your culture. A vision and direction is critical to get your business moving and to assure it stays on the right direction.  People will follow a clear vision that is shared and engages them.  Leaders use the vision to inspire the people they lead.

Too often business owners rely on systems or franchise models to assure success.  While these are important, they will not assure that the business will grow, thrive and prosper.  There is only one thing that will assure success.  The people in an organization know and buy into the vision of the organization.  Making sure that the most important asset, the people, are lead, directed and properly motivated will assure that the right things get done.

Leaders come in three types:

1.            Enhancer

Enhancers are confident, respected and responsible. They contribute more to the organization and the people they lead than is expected. They are positive and people are excited to be around them and work with them.

2.            Neutralizers

Typically better at managing things than with leading people. They typically have teams that do what is expected but little more. Most are neutral about them as a leader and have a apathetic workplace.

3.         Diminishers

These leaders lack confidence and the ability to galvanize people. Diminishers take more from the organization than they give.  The people who report to them are on guard and cautious when dealing with the diminisher.  There is usually a morale issue surrounding this leader.

Now that I’ve described the types of leaders, take a hard look at your own leadership style and decide which one you are and which one you want to be. The choice is yours. What behaviors do you want to exhibit to your team?  How about in your organization?  It comes down to choosing to lead from a position of personal power verses rank or title.  Go back to the Eisenhower quote and ask yourself this…Are your people doing what they are doing because they want to do it or because they have to do it?  Your style makes the difference.  Choose your style from today forward.

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is a certified business/life coach, the author of Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work as well as an expert on developing leaders and personal growth. He can be contacted at 817-748-7425 orwww.CoachRickKolster.com

The BALD TRUTH - 18 ways you are making your life harder

"Life is not complex.  We are complex.  Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing.”
―Oscar Wilde

When we were young life was easier, right?  I know sometimes it seems that way.  But the truth is life still is easy.  It always will be.  The only difference is we’re older, and the older we get, the harder we make things for ourselves.

You see, when we were young we saw the world through simple, hopeful eyes.  We knew what we wanted and we had no biases or concealed agendas.  We liked people who smiled.  We avoided people who frowned.  We ate when we were hungry, drank when we were thirsty, and slept when we were tired.

As we grew older our minds became gradually disillusioned by negative external influences.  At some point we began to hesitate and question our instincts.  When a new obstacle or growing pain arose, we stumbled and fell down.  This happened several times.  Eventually we decided we didn’t want to fall again, but rather than solving the problem that caused us to fall, we avoided it all together.

As a result, we ate comfort food and drank alcohol to numb our wounds and fill our voids.  We worked late nights on purpose to avoid unresolved conflicts at home.  We started holding grudges, playing mind games, and subtly deceiving others and ourselves to get ahead.  And when it didn’t work out, we lived above our means, used lies to cover up lies, and ate and drank some more just to make ourselves feel better again.

Over the course of time, we made our lives harder and harder, and we started losing touch with who we really are and what we really need.

If you’re nodding your head, here are some ways you’re likely making your life harder than it has to be, and some ideas on simplifying things:

1. You look to everyone else for the answers only you can give yourself. – For much of our lives – especially at the beginning – we get told what do, how to think, what looks good, what “success” is, etc.  You don’t have to buy into any of it anymore.  Feel free to peel back the layers.  Think for yourself.  Listen to your Self.  Break the mold.  When you stop doing what everybody else wants you to do and start following your own intuition, you will find exactly what you are looking for.

2. You let others make you feel guilty for living your life. – As long as you’re not hurting anyone else, keep living your life YOUR way.  Sometimes we get lost in trying to live for someone else, trying to meet their expectations, and doing things just to impress them.  Take a moment and think about it.  Are you doing things because you truly believe in them?  Remember your own goals.  Live, do and love so that you are happy, because when it comes down to it, relationships can end in an instant, but you will live with yourself for the rest of your life.

3. You allow toxic people to get the best of you. – You don’t ever have to feel guilty about removing toxic people from your life.  It doesn’t matter whether someone is a relative, romantic interest, colleague, childhood friend or a new acquaintance.  You don’t have to make room for people who cause you pain or make you feel small.  It’s one thing if a person owns up to their behavior and makes an effort to change.  But if a person disregards your feelings, ignores your boundaries and continues to treat you in a harmful way, they need to go.  (Read Toxic People.)

4. You are part of the drama circle. – How would your life be different if you walked away from drama, gossip and verbal defamation?  Let today be the day you speak only about the good you know of other people and encourage others to do the same.  Those that refuse to support you CAN be ignored by you.  It’s as simple as that.  Incredible things happen when you distance yourself from negativity and those who create it.  Don’t get caught up in drama.  Just walk on by.

5. You assign negative intent to other people’s actions. – Another driver cut you off in traffic.  Your friend never texted you back.  Your colleague went to lunch without you.  Everyone can find a reason to be offended on a daily basis.  So what caused you to be offended?  You assigned negative intent to these otherwise innocent actions.  You took it as a personal insult – a slap in the face.  Don’t do this to yourself.  Don’t take things personally.  Don’t assign negative intent to the unintentional actions of others.  Let today be the day you look for the good in everyone you meet.

6. You are too worried that people will steal what you have. – Let this be your wake-up call, especially if you’re an artist, writer, entrepreneur or creative type: There is always more to be gained from sharing knowledge than from hoarding it.  Don’t worry about people stealing your work; worry about the moment they stop.  Be honest, helpful and undeniably good at what you do.  No clever marketing scheme, social media buzzword, or competitor can be a substitute for that, ever.  Whenever people want what you have, regardless of the circumstances, you’re doing it right.

7. You’re trying to compete with everyone else. – If you compete with everyone else, you will become bitter.  If you compete with a previous version of yourself, you will become better.  It’s as simple as that.

8. You have been too much of a taker. – One way to deal with stress and loss is to immerse yourself in doing good for others.  Volunteer.  Get involved in life.  It doesn’t even have to be a big, structured event.  Say a kind word.  Encourage someone nearby.  Pay a visit to someone who is alone.  Get away from your self-preoccupation for a while.  When it comes down to it, there are two types of people in this world.  There are givers and there are takers.  Givers are happy.  Takers are still unhappily wondering what’s in it for them.

9. You focus on popularity over effectiveness. – Seek respect, not attention.  It lasts longer and it’s far more useful in the end.  Do things and build things that make a lasting difference.  And above all, never confuse popularity with effectiveness.  Being popular means you’re liked for a while.  Being effective means you’ve made a difference.

10. You keep cutting corners and taking the easy way out. – Do what is right, not what is easy.  And do the right thing even if no one else will ever know.  Why?  Because YOU will know.

11. You focus on every point in time other than now. – You can’t change yesterday, but you can ruin today by worrying about tomorrow.  Be present.  Tomorrow will reveal itself exactly as it should, just as yesterday already has.

12. You are stuck on your mistakes. – It’s important that we forgive ourselves for making mistakes.  We need to learn from our errors and move forward.  Make a pact with yourself today to not be defined by your past.  Sometimes the greatest thing to come out of all your hard work isn’t what you get for it, but what you learn from it.  A happy, successful life, after all, is not a life absent of problems, but one that’s been able to rise above them.  (Angel and I discuss this in detail in the “Adversity” chapter of 1,000 Little Things Happy, Successful People Do Differently.)

13. You have an “all or nothing” mentality. – There’s no such thing as perfect success, just as there’s no such thing as perfect failure.  This is why labeling things in extremes – all or nothing – success or failure – is an exercise in futility.  What does exist, however, is a continuous series of imperfect moments filled with infinite possibilities and opportunities.  Appreciate the grey area between the extremes – the journey – the experiences.  And above all, never let success get to your head or failure get to your heart.

14. You expect life to always be happy. – The world can be a difficult place.  You may experience suffering, heartbreak and loss.  These circumstances can take a toll on your happiness, but do not lose hope.  Think about the Yin and Yang in Chinese philosophy, which states that opposite forces are often interconnected.  In suffering, you can find great strength, in heartbreak you can find resilience, and in loss you can find a renewed appreciation for life.  Life is always Yin and Yang.  Opposites are interdependent and interconnected.  You can’t completely shield yourself from sadness without also shielding yourself from happiness.

15. You keep thinking about worst-case scenarios. - Sometimes your mind unnecessarily wrestles with events that aren’t even remotely likely.  Your sore throat is life threatening.  Your lost driver’s license fell into the hands of a miscreant looking to steal your identity.  Negativity like this only breeds more negativity.  It’s a happiness riptide.  It will carry you away from shore, and if you don’t swim away it will pull you under.  The bottom line is that you can see the world through a lens of doubt and despair or hope and excitement.  It’s your choice.  Either way, you will someday arrive at the same destination.  The only question is: Do you want to arrive with a frown or a smile?

16. You’re letting loss devour you. – Sometimes you have to work at happiness.  Some hurdles in life are too difficult to clear simply by adopting a positive mindset.  Do you need to forgive someone?  Do you need to let go of a failed relationship?  Do you need to come to terms with the death of a loved one?  Life is full of loss.  But, in a sense, true happiness would not be possible without it.  It helps us appreciate the good times.  It helps us grow.  If you’re struggling to see the light, you’re not alone.  Find someone who understands and talk to them.  Reach out for support.  Don’t let loss devour you.  (Read Second Firsts.)

17. You avoid facing the truth. – The truth does not cease to exist when it is ignored.  You cannot find peace by avoiding things.  You have to feel it to heal it.  Bring your fears and weaknesses front and center and shine a blazing spotlight on them.  Because the only way out is through.  The pain of facing the truth is SO worth it in the long run, I swear.

18. You put off making decisions. – Bad decisions are almost always better than no decisions at all.  Indecisiveness just delays, while bad decisions teach us to yield better ones.  In the end, we most often regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.

YOUR TURN…

As you know, when we stop doing the wrong things and start doing the right things, life gets easier.  It just makes sense.  So how have you been making your life harder than it has to be?   What can you do today to simplify things?  Leave a comment below and let us know.

Credits: Written by Marc Chernoff of Marc and Angel Hack Life, where this was originally featured.

Coach Rick Kolster, CBC is a certified business/life coach, the author Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get To Work and co-author of Selling for Geniuses as well as a motivational speaker on personal growth. He can be contacted at 817-748-7425 or Rick@CoachRickKolster.comwww.CoachRickKolster.com