Inspiration for Solopreneurs

To all my Canadian friends, Happy Canada Day. If you want to sound smart today here are a few facts about our Northern friends and my homeland:

1. July 1 celebrates Canadian Confederation in 1867
2. We all know the familiar red and white maple leaf flag, but until 1965 Canada’s flag was the Union Jack.
3. The Canadian Anthem is O Canada,
4. Only four provinces – Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec – were included in Confederation at the beginning on July 1, 1867. Now Canada has 10 provinces and three territories.
5. Sir John A. Macdonald became the first Prime Minister of Canada on July 1, 1867.
6. The origin of the name “Canada” comes from the expedition of explorer Jacques Cartier up the St. Lawrence River in 1535. The Iroquois pointing out the route to the village of Stadacona, the future site of Quebec City, used the word “kanata,” the Huron-Iroquois word for village. Jacques Cartier used the word Canada to refer to both the settlement of Stadacona and the land surrounding it.
By 1547, maps were showing the name Canada applied to everything north of the St. Lawrence River. The St. Lawrence River was called the “rivière du Canada” by Cartier, and the name stuck until the 1600s.
7. The national emblem of Canada is the Maple Leaf.

Here are a few “You Know You’re Canadian if” that I personally identify with:
1. You understand the sentence, “Could you please pass me a serviette.
2. You know what it means to be ‘on the pogey’.
3. You know what a Robertson screwdriver is.
4. You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.
5. You know that Mounties “don’t always look like that.”
6. You are excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada.
7. You never miss “Coach’s Corner” during Hockey Night in Canada.
8. Canadian Tire Store on any Saturday is busier than most toy stores at Christmas.
9. The local paper covers national and international headlines on 2 pages, but requires 6 pages for hockey.
10. At least twice a year, the kitchen doubles as a meat processing plant.
11. You know 4 seasons: Winter, Still Winter, almost Winter and Construction.
12, You understand the Labatt Blue commercials.
13. You perk-up when you hear the theme from “Hockey Night in Canada”.
14. You pronounce the last letter of the alphabet “zed” instead of “zee.”
15, You end some sentences with “eh,” … eh?
16. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark while only working eight-hour days.
17. You measure distance in hours.
18. You carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them.

Now, I am originally from Saskatchewan and I found this great list of the top 10 reasons to live in my province. So I thought I would include that for all of you who can a) say the word “Saskatchewan” without stopping to sound it out and b) have fond memories of living there.

TOP 10 REASONS TO LIVE IN SASKATCHEWAN
1. You never run out of wheat
2. Those cool Saskatchewan Wheat Pool hats
3. Cruise control takes on a whole new meaning here
4. Your province is really easy to draw
5. You never have to worry about roll-back if you have a standard transmission car
6. It takes you two weeks to walk to your neighbour’s house
7. YOUR Roughriders survived
8. You can watch the dog run away from home for hours
9. People will always assume you live on a farm
10. Buying a huge John Deere mower makes sense

Canadians You May Know:
Avril Lavigne
Pamela Anderson
Shania Twain
Michael J. Fox
Barenakedladies
Keanu Reeves
Alanis Morissette
Jim Carey
Celine Dion

To all those who call Canada “home” or like me, are proud to have been born and raised in Canada, I say Happy Canada Day!

Okay, I know that I said I would be giving tips about procrastination, but for some reason I just kept putting it off! Actually I have really been busy, what with the all that is going on around me. Lots to do, networking, writing, blogging, working with clients, I am just so busy. And then you know I have to make time for the family and talking to the children about their day. Also, I have to make a little time for me, exercise, relaxing, one just can’t be going all the time. Life is just so busy. Just busy, busy, busy!

Tip number 1 – Stop making excuses for yourself. Procrastinators have a wonderful way of lying to themselves about why they don’t get things done. They lost their keys, the dog threw up on the carpet, the phone rang, my best friend is in crisis, blah, blah, blah. Sadly, not only do they lie to themselves, they try to make everyone else believe their lives are just so full of unusual and unnecessary burdens that they just can’t possibly get everything done.

The best thing you can do if you know you procrastinate, is just admit it. I didn’t finish the paper because I put it off to the last day. I didn’t register for the class because I put it off until the class was full. Taking responsibility for any destructive habit lets you move forward to change. If you were an alcoholic (then you have bigger issues) the first step to overcoming is to admit the problem. Procrastination is no different.

If you don’t really believe you have a problem, or you think the problem just makes you more interesting, then there is no point in attempting a change. You will fail, so don’t waste your time. But if you truly want to change, then change will happen. Hopefully sooner than later. Stay tuned for some more tips to stop the insanity that procrastination showers on its victims.

And, I am not really that busy, just trying to prove a point. Just do it now!

www.refinedperspectives.com

Have you ever spent the entire day knowing that you had to get one thing done that day?  Every time you get ready to do it, you notice something else that just has to be done.  Or you call a friend because you simply have not talked to her in a long time.  When you get back to the focus of the day, the dog wants out and you decide you should probably take him for a walk, it will only take a minute.  Your entire day goes like this and when you finally leave your desk you still have not accomplished that one thing.  If this happens to you often, I am sorry to report you are likely among the swelling ranks of procrastinators.

I generally don’t follow tennis, however it did get my attention today when it was reported the William Isner and Nicolas Mahut made tennis history by playing a record 10 hours and counting. They resume play today to determine a winner. For tennis lovers it is exciting and interesting.

When William Isner was interviewed this morning I was impressed with his determination and sportsmanship. He did say something however that was of great interest to me. When asked how he planned to carry on today after working so hard yesterday, he said “after speaking with his coach” he had decided to make some changes to his game that he hoped would make the difference.

Now here is a guy that is undoubtedly talented, who possesses an intimate understanding of the game of tennis, has experience with the game at the highest levels and yet who still finds it necessary to take direction from his coach. Why? Because coaching lets us see things from a different perspective. It can tell us things about our performance, in life, sports or in business, that we might not be able to see from where we are sitting.

Hiring a coach does not mean that one is incompetent, or unable to do their job, on the contrary. Hiring a coach means that one is ready to take themselves and their business to a new level of excellence. It means they are willing to look at new ideas, stretch their thinking and steal themselves for the challenges that businesses are facing today. The folks that hire coaches recognize the value of taking counsel and instruction from people who are objectively looking at their business and giving them unbiased feedback that many times cannot be obtained from any other source.

Are you ready for that kind of growth in your business? Maybe it is time to take a long look at coaching.

www.refinedperspectives.com

I have been pondering lately the whole idea of balance for life and work and what it really means. I think that we have come to believe that it is sort of a “have your cake and eat it too” state in which we live, where not only do we have successful careers and businesses, but we have blissful personal lives with ample time for family and friends. And while that sounds amazing, I am not sure it can really be achieved, in spite of what our life coaches want to have us believe. I really don’t think there is a state of “zen” somewhere in which we have it all together and life is always perfect.

Why do I believe that? Well because what I see everyday are people striving to climb higher, make more, keep more, be more and generally keep the “more” theme going throughout life. I really don’t think we can expect a state of balance with all that striving going on. We are constantly looking for ways to be more productive, so we can move even faster through our days and get more of something. On the other extreme I also see people whose goal in life is to do a little as possible. They want to “get rich quick” and retire early. They rarely push themselves to excellence in any area of their lives and they believe balance is enjoying cool breezes on a sunny beach.

So what is balance really? I think balance is understanding our purpose pursuing it, passionately, even if we get tired sometimes. Balance also includes understanding our values and what is important to us and always fighting for those values. It is about taking responsibility for family and relationships and staying on course so we don’t let others down. Balance is not always about doing less, relaxing more, in fact, balance can sometimes stretch us a little.

Balance is also about living simpler lives. It is cleaning out the closets, attics and the garages and getting rid of those things that we no longer need or use. Balance makes us a little more utilitarian and a little less materialistic. We value what we need and use and truly enjoy the blessings we have been given. In short, I think balance is more about becoming satisfied with what we have and with whom we share it.

Have you found your balance yet? It is likely right in front of you.

www.refinedperspectives.com

One of the cornerstone principles for those folks who have to do a lot of networking to promote their business or big idea is presenting a 30 second commercial or elevator speech.   Let’s face it, if you are going to build a business, you are going to have to talk.  With everyone doing the same thing how does one get stand out and get noticed?  Well I am glad you asked.  If you are like me you enjoy a good story and you always remember those folks who tell good stories.  So if you want to be memorable, tell a good story.  Weave what you do, or what your business is all about into some great stories.  Become known for your stories.  

Walt Disney achieved so much in his life that contributed to the happiness of millions and will last for many generations.  I recently had the opportunity to go through a museum that featured his life story and he was really a pretty remarkable guy.  He lived by what he considered his “five secrets to success”.

Leadership is defined differently by almost everyone you talk to. We all have in mind our ideal leader and what that should look like. Some like powerful, decisive leaders while others like leaders who lead by consensus. Leadership, whether in life or work, is a big responsibility and should not be taken lightly. Even leading a team of one can be a big responsibility if you have not taken the time to really consider what you want your leadership style to be. The goal of thinking and talking about leadership (and many have done both) is to create an effective framework by which to direct people and projects.

So what is your leadership style? Are you strong and confident, quiet and thought or do you rule by intimidation and scare tactics. I can tell you that the latter, while producing short term activity, is rarely effective over the long haul. Let’s look at some good characteristics of leaders.

1. Leaders should leave behind them a legacy of strength and value. A good leader should seek to leave the assets he leads and the people he directs better than when he started.
2. Leaders should provide motivation and momentum to those that they lead. An inspiring leader can make people get moving and keep moving forward.
3. Leaders should encourage the free flow of thought and ideas and develop the people they lead. Leaders should inspire and develop new leaders.
4. Leaders should be able to provide comfort and support when things look grim. We have all admired presidents who could encourage the country in times of great national distress. Good leaders understand there is a time to stop and count the losses and then a time to forge the future.
5. Leaders should be trustworthy. When we lead we are in a position to gain trust, leaders should deserve that trust.
6. Leaders should have a vision for the future. It is hard to lead without knowing what direction to go, good leaders find the right wind to put at their backs and forge ahead.

Leadership is sought after by so many people and yet it is understood by so few. It is not merely being in charge, anyone can be in charge. Leadership is directing, managing, understanding, inspiring and caring about the institution and the people being led. Leaders are developed through experience and testing and those that are great are remembered long after they are gone. Resolve to be a leader.

I am often asked by my clients if they need to worry about creating a Mission and Vision Statement for their business.  And of course I always answer “yes” because I believe that these statements help companies powerfully communicate their intentions and motivate their teams and employees.  Many entrepreneurs feel it is unnecessary when they are just beginning their business because their staff may be small or it may just be them to begin with, however starting out with the right intentions avoids problems as the business grows.  So what should these statements accomplish?

“Mission Statements” and “Vision Statements” do two distinctly different jobs.  The Mission Statement defines the organization’s purpose and primary objectives. Its main audience is inside the company and it defines the key measure or measures for organizational success.  It is intended for leadership and stockholders. 

Vision Statements also define the organizations purpose, but are rooted in the organization’s values rather than bottom line measures (values are guiding beliefs about how things should be done.) The vision statement communicates both the purpose and values of the organization. It can be a powerful tool to give direction to employees as to how they treat your customers and should inspire “best behavior and effort”.  

So how does one create these statements?  Well I am glad you asked, here are some simple ideas to get you going. 

Create a Mission Statement

1. Identify your organization’s “Big idea”.  We also call this a Unique Selling Proposition.  What makes you better than everyone else?  This may take a little “doing” to get figure out, try doing a SWOT analysis or a Core Competence Analysis on your business to get you started. 
    
2. Next identify the key measures of your success. What will “success” look like?  Make sure you choose the most important measures (and not too many of them!)
    
3. Combine your winning idea and success measures into a tangible and measurable goal.

     

4. Refine the words until you have a concise and precise statement of your mission, which expresses your ideas, measures and desired result.

Create Your Vision Statement

Once you’ve created your mission statement, move on to create your vision statement:

1. First identify your organization’s mission. Then uncover the real, human value in that mission. Here are a few:  
1. Aflac - To combine aggressive strategic marketing with quality products and services at competitive prices to provide the best insurance value for consumers.
2. Auto Nation - To be America’s best run, most profitable automotive retailer.
3. Bristol Myers Squibb - To help all people live healthy lives.
4. CVS Pharmacy - We will be the easiest pharmacy retailer for customers to use.
5. Microsoft - At Microsoft, we work to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential. This is our mission. Everything we do reflects this mission and the values that make it possible.
2. Next, identify what you, your customers and other stakeholders will value most about how your organization will achieve this mission.  What will your customers say about your products or services.  Be specific, you want to be more focused than just the “best”.  A local grocer might say his patrons value his produce because they are fresh, healthy, and locally grown.  What values do you want to assign to your products or service that the customers will immediately identify. 

3. Combine your mission and values, and polish the words until you have a vision statement inspiring enough to energize and motivate people inside and outside your organization.

Developing these statements may seem like an exercise in English class, however these statements will give your business a place to start as far as developing your overall brand.  They will also help you focus your marketing efforts in the future.  What you say about your company will be reflected to you from both clients and employees alike.  With these statements you make a positive step in creating the company culture and controlling attitudes and actions.  Create them well and mean every word you write.  

www.refinedperspectives.com