The Top 5 Responsibilities Of Authentic Leadership

Allow me the opportunity to ask you this frank question… Who do you honestly believe to be a great leader?

What exactly is it about this person that makes you feel that they are a great leader? Is it because of specific characteristics, attributes or qualities that they exhibit? The fact is that great leaders are not all the same. Consider the likes of General George Patton, Coach Vince Lombardi or business innovator Steve Jobs.

Clearly, these three individuals were all great leaders in their own right and each of them in their own theater of life. Three remarkably different personalities with three remarkably different leadership styles… yet each of them highly accomplished and respected leaders. So, the question remains… “Why” were they such great leaders?

It is my personal belief that what made them such great leaders was their “authenticity” and their forthright commitment to take the responsibilities of leadership seriously. Following are the Top 5 Responsibilities of Authentic Leadership which are:

Be A Great Communicator. Clear and concise communication lies at the heart of every undertaking and is essential to the ultimate achievement of the organization’s goals and objectives. According to a Wall Street Journal survey of several years ago… The most important thing that employees wanted was “open communication”.

Be Authentic. True authenticity all comes down to own thing… You have to be the “real deal”. It starts with being who you already are complete with your strengths, weaknesses and yes, even your flaws. No one is perfect and your potential followers will not expect you to be. What they do expect is that you will be genuine in nature and conduct yourself congruently with your core values and beliefs. People want to know what it is that you truly stand for and should they share the same values and beliefs… Then they will choose to stand beside and with you.

Be Accessible. As human beings, everyone has times when they are unsure of themselves or are uncertain as to exactly what or how to do what they are supposed to be doing. People have questions, need direction, require encouragement, motivation, praise and more. There will be countless times when your people will need available access to you for your varied leadership abilities, inspiration and wise counsel.

Be An Example. The really great leaders are invariably those who make the conscious decision to lead by example. When it comes to authentic leadership, the picture truly is worth a thousand words. People take notice of the leader that walks his or her talk and who is willing to roll up their sleeves and help out when the going gets tough. So, choose to be the example that people will take notice of and then follow.

Be A Mentor and Coach. The truly great leaders are also great mentors and coaches because they take advantage of every available situation by turning it into a learning opportunity for their people and organization. In business, these are the leaders who build loyal employee bases who will then in turn not only love what they do and who they do it for… They will in turn build loyal relationships with the organization’s customers.

While there are literally hundreds of characteristics, attributes and qualities that can be observed in leaders from all walks of life, highly effective leaders key on the leadership attributes that best mesh with their personal strengths and their personal leadership style.

Your quest to grow your business and thereby create a high performance organization begins and ends with your ability to create high performance people through authentic leadership.

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward  | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

America: Leadership In Crisis

You hear about it every day on television, on radio, in print and online. Failed leadership… faltering leadership… incompetent leadership… ineffective leadership and various other references for leadership that is simply no longer working or effective.

The leadership crisis is not just an issue in Washington, DC, it’s a global epidemic. From a national perspective the crisis is a lot bigger than the GSA or ICE. These agencies simply represent the tip of the iceberg at the federal government level. There are also a vast number of leadership crises in state government all across the country.

And the same holds true for county governments, city governments and local townships. For example, here at home you need only to think of the revolving door of the Town Manager position in Surfside Beach or the never ending story of the Mayor and Town Council in Atlantic Beach.

The leadership crisis is not isolated solely to government, it is just as rampant in business, industry and even civic organizations. So, the looming question is “why” is there such a glaring lack of qualified leadership?

Clearly this is a highly complex issue for which volumes could be written, so for now let’s keep it simple. Here are several straight forward perspectives for your consideration:

The first factor to consider with regard to the leadership crisis is that it’s very much a perception problem. When you see, hear of or encounter an individual who has for what ever reason been placed in a highly visible or high profile position -- You and the general public automatically view, consider and leap to the conclusion that this individual is in fact a leader. As well, you have been conditioned over time to also perceive that said individual is also a “qualified” leader.

In most cases… nothing could be further from the truth. The second factor to consider is that the vast majority of people who are perceived to be in a leadership role have never in fact had any formal leadership training.

The other critical factor which represents your third consideration is that there is very little leadership development training that is actually available. Virtually all of the leadership training that is available is in the form of 3 day seminars and 5 day conferences. Clearly these training vehicles do not provide enough depth or time to create viable leaders. Even renowned trainings such as Dale Carnegie and Disney are typically only 1 day to 5 day events. And if you happened to read my last article about seminars and conferences… then you are well aware that only about 2% of the training information presented is ever retained by the participants.

When you consider these three factors alone, it is easy to comprehend how our country has ensnared itself in a leadership crisis. Many of our viable and proven leaders are part of the Baby Boomer generation that has already retired or like Steve Jobs and others, have passed from this life. They are readily absent at a time when they are critically needed.

There was a time when leadership was about doing the right things, regardless of how difficult, for the right reasons. Leadership was about being willing to take on trying circumstances, execute the hard decisions and then accept full responsibility for them. These are the kind of leaders that we need now more than ever to heal our country, invigorate our economy, fuel business expansion and motivate our future generations.

Yet in the here and now, leadership seems to be doing everything but the right things. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us all as citizens and business professionals to start taking the role of leadership in our society more seriously than ever before. Begin now by taking a fresh look at what is going on around you and your family, your work and your hometown. Start the search for authentic people that have the potential to become authentic leaders and then truly do the right things for the right reasons.

And while you’re at it… start being a better example that others can take notice of and then follow.

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

Failing Your Way to Success

The Hall of Fame Basketball Player Michael Jordan once said “I’ve failed over and over and over again, and that is why I succeed.”

Clearly, M.J. has had a remarkable career both on and off of the court. And like so many famous people that are perceived as super-stars… the rest of humanity has only seen their favorite celebrity’s “highlight” reel of accomplishments. We the endearing fans never really get to see behind the scenes at the struggles and failures that the Celebes have endured time and again just like you… before they hit the Big-Time!

The vast majority of people from all walks of life simply don’t handle disappointment or defeat very well. They say to themselves and worst of all to others… “That sure didn’t work out well… clearly I wasn’t cut out to do this.” Or perhaps… “I should have known better, nothing ever works out right for me.”

How many times have you said something like this out of frustration over your failure or disappointment? Everyone has and you are no exception. What’s more… I would wager the proverbial dollar for a donut that you really didn’t mean the things that you said. Deep down inside of yourself, you didn’t believe it either.

The difference between you and highly successful people like M.J. is that they didn’t bail on themselves or put themselves down. Instead they dug in harder, kept right on believing in their goals, dreams and abilities and never ever allowed themselves to give up. Not even for a minute.

When it comes to failing your way to success… carefully consider the following true story:

In the year 1831 a young man failed in a business venture. The following year in 1832 he ran for public office and met with resounding defeat for a legislative seat. Again, in 1833 this same man attempted to launch another business enterprise which also failed. In 1834 he made another attempt at running for public office and was elected to his state legislature.

However, in 1838 he was defeated for speaker. Once again in 1840 he was defeated for elector. And then in 1844 he lost a race for a Congressional seat. At long last in 1846, this man was elected to a seat in Congress, only to eventually lose it two years later in 1848.

Seven years later in 1855 he again ran for the Senate and was once more defeated. The very next year in 1856 he ran for Vice President but again did not win. Once more in 1858, he ran again for the Senate and was defeated. Then in 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as the President of The United States.

President Lincoln’s road to success was a rocky one to say the least. His journey to his goal of the presidency is a testament to the grit of determination, patience, perseverance and persistence. While Abraham Lincoln’s life began in a rustic log cabin, he overcame his humble beginnings and a multitude of failures in both business and politics. Abe Lincoln didn’t have a lick of quit in him and by not ever giving up, his tenacity eventually paid off. In the process, Honest Abe left behind a legacy of lessons for all to learn from.

Failure is the seed from which real learning sprouts. Just ask Thomas Edison who remained undeterred although he had already found over two thousand ways not to make a light bulb. The simple fact of the matter is that every one of your failures and disappointments is chock full of valuable lessons that will help you to excel and succeed on a brighter future day.

The road of life of the rich and famous is mired in difficulty, challenges and adversity. And it is this same road that you must traverse in search of your success. So what ever lies around the next bend in the road ahead… Be certain of this one thing, that you will never ever take failure lying down.

While they may be from different eras, Honest Abe and M.J. are undeniable proof that failure is never final!

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

Are You Hiring?

Are you hiring? When you saw the title of this article, your instinctive reaction was probably something along the lines of “Are you kidding… In this economy?” Your secondary response most likely was “I actually wish that we were busier so that I was in a position to hire more people”.

As business owners we all wish that we were in a position to provide someone else with a job. While your underlying desires and intentions are in principle good, the underlying problem is that you’re just “wishing” and subsequently dismissing the issue of real job creation. What if anything are you earnestly doing in the interest of creating real jobs?

The way that I see it, we all have a shared responsibility when it comes to job creation. At last report there were approximately 14,000,000 unemployed workers in America. This statistic has undoubtedly increased as a result of the sizeable number of high school and college graduates who are now entering the work force and are as well unable to find a job, let alone suitable employment.

Depending on which report you read, there are some where between 27 million and 34 million business enterprises in the United States. From a purely statistical perspective, if half of these businesses were able to create just “1” job… the U.S. unemployment problem would be solved and there would literally be full employment… without any help or impedance from the federal government.

In one regard, I would agree that this seems a bit idealistic. On the other hand, it’s not exactly far fetched either. The real issue that I’m attempting to address here is… What CAN you do in your business to help create jobs? If your response is that there is simply nothing that you can do, then I would state that you are absolutely wrong. The basis of my position is the true story about a young man named Johnny who also thought at first that there was nothing he could do to help improve things where he worked.

Then Johnny had a very simple idea about how he could improve his own work… That simple idea ultimately transformed the entire company! If you don’t know the story about “Johnny the Bagger” then you owe it to yourself and your people to Google it and then watch the video. If you’ve seen Johnny’s story previously, you need to watch it again.

It is my earnest belief that every business is capable of making a meaningful contribution to the process of job creation. So, what would you have to do in order to create “1” job? What’s holding you back from doing this?

If you’re not prepared to “step it up” just now in an effort to create a job – then what CAN you do to help other business owners to create jobs? Be a Johnny! Start looking for ways to do something! Even if you truly think you can’t… You CAN make a real contribution toward job creation.

Let me give you a personal point of reference. As you may be aware, I have print published two books within the past year and am currently putting the finishing touches on book number three. Printed books require printing presses and ink. Books require paper stock and binding. Book covers require graphic art work and layout. Books require sales outlets. Books have to be shipped to the purchaser or distribution outlets. Books have to be marketed and advertised.

I would hope that you are getting both my message and my point. What ever business venture you may be in… Who receives the benefit of the additional work if your business sells one more car, one more washer & dryer, one more heat pump, one more water heater, processes one more mortgage application, insures one more life or delivers one more bouquet of flowers?

How many different companies, components and people does it take to manufacture and then deliver “1” of what ever you sell or service to market? As an example, a single automobile has over 10,000 components. Selling one more car directly affects 1,000’s of companies and people. What happens when your business and a thousand of your fellow business colleagues across the country all sell “1” more unit each? The all important answer is… that it creates a “job”.

So, get out there and do everything in your power to do what ever it takes to sell or service “1” more customer each week (even if you have to break even to do so) and you will find that you can in fact make a real and meaningful contribution to your industry’s and nation’s job growth!

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward  | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

It's Time To Revamp Your Marketing

Are you getting the biggest bang for your buck… when it comes to your marketing and advertising dollars?

Given the ongoing state of the economy, there is a very good chance that your marketing is not getting the rate of response that it once did. Nor is it bringing you the same quality of customer that it once did. I’d like to call your attention to a specific marketing circumstance that you can learn from that is occurring at the national level and in the end provides little if any real value to the consumer.

It involves 5 national “name” brands that you will instantly recognize, which are… Nationwide, Geico, Allstate, Progressive and Century 21. These mega insurance companies are all competing heavily for your automobile insurance and at the rate that they are collectively saturating the radio, TV, internet and print medias, they are all parting with some big bucks in the process.

What I find highly interesting is that they are delivering what amounts to the exact same message… “Switch to our company and we’ll save you hundreds of dollars on your car insurance.” So, exactly how does the consumer (which includes you) make an intelligent informed decision on which company to choose? Perhaps you should keep changing car insurance companies for the next five years at which point you would be paying “zero” for your car insurance. Of course that’s not reality… but it is a nifty idea!

The current estimate for building a “national brand” is about 120 million dollars. Clearly, these five companies initially invested extraordinary sums of money to build their brand status. And In current time, they resultantly all have enormous marketing and advertising budgets. So, how is it that none of these national brands can find a way to effectively differentiate themselves from their competitors? Why is it that they can not provide the consumer with some means of measuring real “value” and now find themselves in the classic default position of having to compete solely on the issue of “price”?

The fact that national brands are having difficulty in maintaining or redefining their brand image should serve as a clear warning to you the small business owner and solo-preneur of the very real need to find ways of clearly differentiating your business from your competitors. However, with rare exception this is simply not happening. Case in point, my office received a new 2012 phone book recently and when I performed my annual reference check of several prominent Yellow Page categories – they looked exactly as they had the year before.

The Attorney classification has 38 full page advertisements followed by a similar volume of half page listings thereafter, then smaller display ads and lastly the regular column phone listings. The marketing message (or lack there of) on the 38 full page ads were all virtually the same… the attorney’s picture, name of the law firm, address, telephone number and they all performed every legal function from soup to nuts. In essence, the classic “everything to everybody” marketing message. And of course… a gross failure to differentiate or otherwise distinguish themselves from their competition.

Other prime business classifications such as realtors, banks and insurance firms also failed to differentiate themselves as well. The last time I looked, full page Yellow Page advertisements weren’t exactly cheap. It is most unfortunate that so may business people would spend so much money to keep doing the exact same thing that they have always done “out of habit” or because they haven’t figured out what else they can actually do to improve their marketing and thereby get a leg up on their competition.

As we have all collectively witnessed these past several years, the big national companies have been struggling to survive as their brands have become stale and they have been sluggish in responding to change. It is you the small business entrepreneur who is potentially more agile and able to quickly adapt and then make the appropriate changes in operating and growing your business.

So if you want to get more bang for your advertising buck… Then the time has come to revamp your marketing!

The consumer of 2012 is looking to stretch their hard earned dollar further than ever before. Your prospects are also your competitor’s prospects as well and they are earnestly searching for real value and exceptional servicing. These potential customers that you are competing for are more informed, better educated and have more buying options than ever before. If one thing is absolutely certain, it is that your business is going to have to work hard to “earn” the prospects business.

Your prospect simply isn’t interested in all of the old marketing games and have frankly grown weary of the advertising gimmicks, precocious children and over sensationalized product hype. They are also tired of advertisements that knock your competition. If the only thing that you have to sell is negative smack about your competition… then you’re in real trouble as you don’t have much to sell!

So following below are six strategic ideas for revamping your marketing:

Revamp Your Marketing Message. If you want to truly have a leg up on your competition, then you must finally differentiate yourself from your competition. What do you do or what “can” you do that your competitors don’t do? Secondarily, what are the most common problems that your potential customers have? Use your marketing message to make yourself the hometown “expert” who can solve the customer’s problem better than anyone else can.

Make Your Marketing Message Congruent. Once you rethink and revamp your optimum marketing message, be congruent by uniformly placing your message in the right distribution channels where your customer sales will actually take place. The act of having a consistent message in every advertising medium that you utilize will increase the effectiveness and efficiency of your marketing plan.

Take Control of Your Content. There isn’t a marketing agent, advertising representative, web designer, radio station or TV provider that knows your business inside-out like you do. They don’t know who your ideal customer is, so don’t entrust your content to anyone else ever. Your responsibility is to provide your customer what they “want” or “need” – which constitutes the substance of your marketing message. The responsibility of the media outlet is to “window-dress” your message and place it in the path of your prospect. Control your content and you will control your destiny.

Hold Your Margins. Stop giving your profit away. Stop competing on price. Your prospect is searching for “value”… so why send them a message that conveys that you don’t believe your pricing is worth it either by drastically discounting or slashing your prices. Set fair pricing structures and then start providing your customers with more, by giving them legitimate “value added” product and service extras.

Motivate Your Prospective Customer. When your prospect comes face to face or ear to ear with your marketing message… what is supposed to happen? What is it that you want the prospect to do? Your marketing message must have a compelling “Call To Action” that is crystal clear about the next step that the prospect needs to take and that will place them directly into your sales funnel.

Outlast Your Competition. It has often been said over the years that competition is “fierce”. Perhaps never more so than today. Yet, a recent report states that 99% of all sales people don’t follow up appropriately with their prospects. This is tragic since it takes on average 9 customer contacts before the prospect makes their buying decision. By simply crafting a real program of ten procedural customer contacts that have purpose and meaning to the prospect – you are almost certain to outlast your competition and earn more business.

There is plenty of business is out there for the taking… if you are willing to do what it takes!

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward Thomas H. Swank, CBC All Rights Reserved.

Worried About Your Financial Success

Are you worried about your financial success? Given the continuing financial state of the world, you most likely are quite concerned about the financial well being of your family, business, career and the dreams that you hold for a hopefully brighter future.

Let me ask you a question… Do you have a millionaire mindset? Sure, everyone wishes that fate or lady luck would some how make them one. That however is not what I’m asking. What I really want you to be clear about is whether or not you are thinking like a million dollar business owner or professional?

The key point that I want to make is that you have to start thinking like a millionaire and start conducting business as if you already were a millionaire… in order to eventually come one. I’m not referring to having a fake it till you make it. What I am talking about is the action of literally preparing yourself for the future that you say that you want. If you’re not truly ready to handle this degree of success, you could be in for some troubling times down the road.

I want you to honestly think about this with a serious perspective. How many times have you heard over the years about high profile actors, sports stars, recording artists, business people and even lottery winners that at one time had immense fortunes… Only to wind up broke, destitute and homeless years later. In many cases, their lives even met with tragic ends.

While it is critically important to know what you want for your life, as well as how you are going to get it… It is equally critical that you have a vision and plan for what you are going to do when success does come. With your financial success in mind, here are a few tips for developing an appropriate mindset when it comes to financial success:

Define “Rich”. Get crystal clear about what being rich means to you. What does it look like? What does it feel like? Are you actually rich in other ways in addition to potential monetary wealth? How do you then balance them?

Learn Wealth. Who you are hanging out with? Who are you getting financial advice from? Is your family wealthy? How about your friends? Are you honestly listening to traditional financial advisors and bankers? The truth is that wealthy people learn from other wealthy people. Start learning from the people who are further down the road that you are traveling in pursuit of success. Not only do they know how to achieve success, they also know the pitfalls to avoid.

Create A Wealth Posture. One of the important keys to building true wealth is that of creating the right growth posture. The is absolutely no substitute for the ability to work from a position of strength, for it is posture the allows your to leverage your finances, eliminate debt and accrue real wealth.

Think Bigger. Virtually everyone that has ever created meaningful wealth has had to break out of their comfort zone and start thinking bigger, dreaming bigger and living bigger… While concurrently taking on bigger risk than ever before. You’ll need to think bigger about yourself, your talents and abilities too.

Balance Your Life. Adjust your mindset with the knowledge that a successful life is much more than a robust balance sheet. Your finances and potential wealth are but one arena of your life. Don’t sacrifice the other significant aspects of your life all for the pursuit of wealth. Of what real “value” is all your money worth if you don’t have the good health required to enjoy it? And to what end are all your efforts, if you have no one in your life to enjoy it with?

Share Your Wealth. One of the hallmark qualities of those who have earned wealth is that of philanthropy. Now that you have invested in yourself, take time to invest in others and help them to find success. Find someone that can you mentor, then lift them high on your shoulders and help celebrate their success!

In the end, life all comes down to the choices you’ve made. When it comes to financial success… if you make the right choice… what’s to worry?

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

Reevaluating Your Social Media Investment

In recent years, the world has become increasingly enamored with the realm of Social Media. There are literally hundreds of differently themed social media websites that are beckoning for your attention, as well in the investment of your time, energy and resource capital to hopefully cash in on the next great social media phenomenon.

Following Facebook’s recent IPO, the Wall Street Journal reported that General Motors was pulling the plug on its Facebook advertising to the tune of 10 millions dollars due to a lack of consumer response. For which the ten million question then becomes… Are you actually getting a measurable return on your investment in social media?

If you are to believe all of the social media hype, anybody who is anybody is intently immersed in the culture of Facebook, Twitter and Linked In. Then, there is the newest and supposedly hottest social media platform yet… “Pinterest” which is touted to drive more traffic to your business than its more established predecessors. But, are these pillars of social media actually generating real customers and consistent sales revenue for your business?

If they aren’t, then like GM, maybe you too should be reevaluating your investment in social media marketing. Here’s a tip for you… don’t get caught up in the frenzy surrounding social media. Rather, start exercising due diligence in evaluating its actual potential to assist with growing your business.

While there are some glamorous and seductive success stories out there -- don’t allow them to become the alluring sirens that sink your efforts on the all too often barren rocks of internet marketing. In this regard, here are some points that you may want to carefully consider about your social media exposure:

First and foremost… there are many categories of business for which the internet holds no real marketing value what-so-ever.

If your business endeavor is one that could legitimately benefit from the world wide web… you must still keep you wits about you and have a sound perspective about your internet marketing, what you expect to accomplish… and “why”.

Remember that an internet search will ultimately yield millions of results, yet only the top 10 organic search results will appear as Page 1 listings. The odds of ever being… let alone staying listed on page one are about on par with winning the Power Ball Lottery.

There is an age old axiom in business which states that "you shouldn’t confuse activity with results". Yet, thousands and thousands of businesses are doing exactly that with regard to their internet presence. Simply consider the facts:

You could spend the money and do all of the work that it will take to eventually have 10,000 or more followers on Twitter or 10,000 plus fans on Facebook… yet the question lingers loudly… to what end?

For the most part… it’s nothing more than a popularity contest. It’s a proven fact that there are real business people who have over 1,000,000 fans on Facebook and have yet to see the first penny of sales revenue from their efforts.

Here’s the ultimate distinction that needs to be crystal clear to you… fans and followers are not and never will be “qualified leads”! Let me repeat this again because it is critically important… your fans and followers are not qualified leads who have a bonafide interest… let alone real “need”… for your product or service.

As well… there are many businesses that have invested $10,000…$20,000 and more to build their website, do extensive search engine optimization and promotion that is necessary in order to obtain a #1 Google ranking… Only to learn the hard lesson that a #1 ranking does not in any way translate into actual customers, a revenue stream or a guarantee for internet marketing success.

At the end of the business day, you want real “customers”… not fans! This requires a comprehensive understanding of exactly what distribution channels, marketing strategies and sales tactics are the winning combination for your business and the results that you want to achieve.

And for that… you may need a little help.

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved.

Renewing Your Zest For Life

The more that I listen to and observe people… the more convinced I become of just how stale and unsatisfying life has become for so many of you these past several years.

It’s reminiscent of when I went to my 25th high school reunion a while back. There were only a few couples out on the dance floor as everyone else had relegated themselves to the sidelines. When I asked the once vibrant women why they weren’t dancing, they replied that they were too old and too tired to tango.

Just because the world is in a state of upheaval and turmoil doesn’t mean that you are supposed to go through life on emotional cruise control and live a life of stress, fatigue and worry. There are real people out on the town who are dancing all of those hot Latin dances that you have relegated yourself to summarily watching on “Dancing With The Stars”.

It’s time to shake things up and put some zest back in your life! Take a moment to recall what your first date was like. Life was exciting and intense back then. And it can be again… but you’re going to have to stop living life in a protective bubble. So, what would bring out the flavor in your life?

Here are just a few of the many ways that you can put some real zest back in your life:

Be Bold and Do Something New: Stop telling yourself that “Some Day I’ll…” Dare yourself to do what it is that you’ve been contemplating for far too long.

Say Goodbye To Your Junk: There’s a bunch of crappy stuff that’s junking up your life. Deal with it and then get rid of it once and for all.

Get Off-Centered: You know everything that is at the center of your life only too well. That’s the biggest part of your problem. Start exploring the outer “edges” of your life. What’s out there on the fringe of your universe just waiting for you to discover it?

Pump-Up The Volume: What still excites you? What’s important to you? What ever it is… pump-up the volume and start doing a lot more of it.

Get Zest From The Best: What’s the “best” thing you ever ate? Go enjoy it again! What’s the most fun that you ever had? Go do it again!

Decide What’s Non-Negotiable: What are the things that you absolutely can’t live without? Make them a part of your life for keeps.

Determine What’s Missing: What is it that needs to be an integral component of your life? Build it in now.

Lighten Your Load: What ever has been weighing you down… get it off of your shoulders. Stop being so darn serious. Get real about it. Deal with it. Then be done with it.

Snag A Sunrise: Catch a spectacular sunrise at the beach or on a mountain vista and remember just how precious and fragile life really is.

Make A New Memory: Stop reliving your old memories and start making new ones. As Frank Sinatra once crooned… “The best is yet to come…” So go dip your toe into the unknown.

And then there is this one other thing… the daunting words of the famous publisher Elbert Hubbard… “Do not take life too seriously. You will not get out of it alive.”

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC All Rights Reserved.



Give Your Business A Face-Lift For Spring

At least once a year it’s a good practice to give your office and work space a face lift. For most organization’s, their slow period provides the perfect time to not only get organized, but to prepare in earnest for the upcoming busy season.

Every work space from the corner office, retail storefront, warehouse, cubicle complex or home office will benefit from clean and organized surroundings. As well, it’s more appealing to your customer’s, visitors and a morale booster for your staff.

The best place to start is with everything paper. Clean out your old files and keep only what is absolutely necessary. Shred everything that has any sensitive or personal information about your organization, your people and your customers. Once this task is done, it’s off to the recycle center along with the rest of your office recyclables.

Your next step is to update and reorganize your remaining document files. And don’t forget your business card binders and Rolodex (if you still have one). Now repeat this same process for all of your electronic files, database and anything else that is virtual.

Next up… it’s time to de-clutter the desks and file cabinets. The promotional junk that you’ve accumulated has got to go. And the monthly desk calendar pad on the top of your desk should have gone bye-bye three years ago. Clean out the drawers too… how many hand held calculators, rulers and the like do you really need?

Once you can actually see your real desk top, take the time to clean and polish it. Now move on to the book shelves and file cabinets. Pull the books which are no longer utilized or that have become outdated. Categorize the professional, reference and resource books together for easy time saving access in the future. Reorganize the file cabinets and remove the extraneous items that have accumulated over time. File cabinets have a real purpose and are meant to save time… not to be the office catch-all.

Now it’s time to round up all of the strays from around the office and then gather all of your office supplies into one central location. Then test all writing instruments, sharpen all pencils and refill all staplers, sticky note holders, paper clip holders and the like. Subsequent to this protocol, inventory your office and computer supplies and then generate both a current shopping list and future needs schedule that will maintain appropriate supply levels.

The time has come to turn to your technology equipment and to assess your computer hardware and software needs, upgrades, maintenance, repair, optimization and back-up. Just like your paper files, delete the old or unnecessary files along with any programs that you no longer use. Once this has been completed it’s time to tackle your email files which may truly be your biggest source of clutter. Start by cleaning out your in box, sent files, deleted files (some of which need to be permanently deleted to actually remove them from your hard drive) and of course your spam.

Also remember that pictures, audios and videos take up tons of hard drive space. Keep what you need, place them on a CD/DVD and then delete what you can from your system. Reclaim as much disk space as possible and then optimize your computers by running the defrag and disk clean up programs.

With these tasks accomplished, it’s time for a little elbow grease and some serious down to earth office cleaning. Wash all windows inside and out, clean the blinds and draperies, vacuum the carpets and floors thoroughly and have them shampooed as necessary. Clean all tile, linoleum, baseboards, baseboards, door frames, doors, door knobs, hinges, light switch plates, walls and add a fresh coat of paint where needed.

Now that your office is bright and shiny, it’s time to freshen up its aesthetic look. Review your office equipment and telephone system needs. Consider rearranging the furniture and wall décor. Update your accent pieces, especially if you have a waiting room or foyer and don’t forget to update magazines, journals, brochures, information pamphlets and business card holders.

Lastly, perform an office makeover with regard to your policies, practices, procedures and business plan as this will help you clean up your old ways of thinking and help your organization to focus on creative ideas and new ways of better serving your customers.

And remember… that good organization will always reward your bottom-line.

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward Thomas H. Swank, CBC All Rights Reserved.

Your 7 Best Time Strategies

Time is fleeting and life passes by oh so quickly. Every moment of your time is truly precious and should be used wisely.

In a few weeks you will receive the gift of an extra 24 hours to do with what ever you please. What are your plans for your Leap Year gift? How will you spend them? Or, will you choose to invest them?

Your journey through life… is also a remarkable journey through time! Time is in a sense a portal, because you literally pass through it. Time is also a dimension, because time changes everything, including you. Time like money, is also a commodity, for it is the most valuable thing that you will ever possess. And no amount of money can ever add a single day, hour or minute to your life.

February 29th should serve to remind you of your responsibility to both value and respect your gift of time throughout every moment of your every day – for once the grains of sand have slipped through the hour glass, you can never get them back. Time is an integral part of your daily environment, because it is with you wherever you go. And as I’m certain that you would agree, taking care of our environment is an appropriate thing that we all should do. When to comes to your own personal environment, time is the one thing that is so utterly precious… Yet, you can neither conserve it or nor recycle it. It has a zero shelf life.

Every one of your hours and every one of your minutes has an absolute value that must be used “now”. Time is the ultimate use it or loose it commodity. Your ability to strategize and prioritize your time is your prerequisite key to improving your personal productivity. Given the volatile global economic environment, following are my Top 7 Time Strategy tips to assist you with your continuing need to do more… with less:

» Allocate Time Properly. Planning your time is critical to your productivity. Decide today how you are going to allocate your time tomorrow. Not only will you sleep better tonight – you’ll perform better tomorrow.

» Focus On Revenue Generation. On average, business people only devote about 20% of their time to those activities which actually generate income. Look for ways to delegate, outsource or eliminate non-revenue generating tasks. Then start focusing on turning your time into cash.

» Identify Time-Wasters. You waste time every day… stop it! Review the past several days while they are still fresh in your mind and then identify your Top 5 Time-Wasters. Be clear about “what” or “who” is wasting your valuable time. Now take the corrective actions to reclaim both your time and the money that this waste has been costing you.

» Prioritize Tasks. While you need to prioritize your daily work load based on importance, you also need to prioritize your tasks based upon their time requirements. Group tasks together as blocks of time, i.e. you have a staff meeting in an hour, but you don’t really have a sizeable task that will take up a full hour. Group a 30 minute task, a 20 minute task and 10 minute task together. You won’t leave something unfinished and you won’t have to review or refocus your attention back to that task after the meeting – Instead you will be able to start fresh on a new project.

» Think Prime-Time. Everyone has certain times of the day when they function best and feel the most productive. Learn to identify the time frames that constitute this “Prime-Time” for you. Then block out as much of this time frame as possible for your most important projects and tasks – then arrange for you to not be disturbed during this period of time. Start maxing-out your personal productivity.

» Stop Procrastinating. There will always be those tasks which are your least favorite things to do. Yet, in the end they still have to get done. Quit avoiding the inevitable… get them out of the way so that you can move on to more enjoyable work and creative opportunities. Not only will you be more productive, you’ll feel a whole lot better in the process.

» Put A Value On Time. If you really want to stop wasting time… Get crystal clear about what your time is really “worth”. While you know may readily know what you typically earn per week and consequently per hour – this is the wrong measuring tool. You are stuck in a loop that thinks in terms of “earnings” and not relative value. If you view how you make money in the context of revenue generation (listed above) which accounts for roughly 20% of your time – this means that when you are actually selling your product or service and generating revenue that your time is actually “worth” 500% more than it is the entire remainder of your day from an hourly perspective. When you know what your time is really “worth” you will quickly change what you are doing.

Ben Franklin is often quoted for saying that “Time is money.” When appropriately viewed through the prism of reality, it is my opinion that “Time yields productivity… and productivity in return yields money.”

By utilizing sound time strategies you can master the art of turning your time into “cash”!

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward Thomas H. Swank, CBC All Rights Reserved.

Your #1 Success Attribute...

Martin Luther King, Jr. once stated that “All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem.”

Dr. King’s observation is as true today as it was in his. These past several years have clearly been quite precarious and problematic. No sooner had my last post been published, that more adverse economic news broke in the media informing you that the manufacturer of Hostess Twinkies and Cupcakes had filed for Bankruptcy and that the Food Lion Grocery Chain (like Sears/K-Mart) had announced that they were also going to close 100+ stores.

As well, retail sales for December were below expectations and first time unemployment claims were again on the rise. It is mid January and the time for ceremonial resolutions has now passed. The time has come to have true resolve and commit to undertaking real goals, real plans and pursuing real outcomes.

If there is one success attribute that you need to personify in 2012 and beyond, it is that of “Self-Discipline”. For it is self-discipline that serves as the glue of life – in that it connects and holds every facet of your life together. Self-discipline is what keeps your life from becoming fragmented into unmanageable pieces of chaos.

Your ability to develop self-discipline as a dominant habit will enable your achievement of success (as you define it on your own terms) more than any other single aspect of your character. Following are 10 key areas on which you would be wise to focus if you are to become better self-disciplined.

» Discipline yourself to have clarity of mind about precisely what it is that you want to accomplish and why.

» Discipline yourself to have clear written priorities with regard to what you are going to do tomorrow – before you put your head on your pillow tonight.

» Discipline yourself to devote the majority of your time on your top money making activities.

» Discipline yourself to work and live more confidently with the knowledge that you have highly developed skills and abilities that will serve you well if you use them appropriately.

» Discipline yourself to avoid distractions at all cost and to stay on task and on target… all day, every day.

» Discipline yourself to have consistent habits (not just good ones), such as going to bed at the same time every night and getting up at the exact same time very morning.

» Discipline yourself to be properly motivated. Just like your body requires breakfast lunch and dinner for nutrition, so does your mind and attitude. Set the tone for your day with inspirational scriptures, videos or quotations. Have a mid day motivational snack, and at end of your day prepare your mind for quality rest with soothing inspiration.

» Discipline yourself to not only work hard at your work, but to work every bit as hard on yourself and build a better you.

» Discipline yourself to persevere with persistence. Times are tough and life is hard… so what? Planes fly into strong headwinds every day and still get to their destinations. You can too.

» Discipline your personal leadership of self. The more accountable and responsible that you make yourself in every area of your life – the more self disciplined you will become.

As you become more and more adept at developing these aspects of self-discipline, the more aware you will become that you are accomplishing more in less time and that you have an enhanced sense of self control about both your life and your future.

Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward Thomas H. Swank, CBC All Rights Reserved.

Tom is an author, speaker and trusted advisor to business entrepreneurs worldwide. Jump-Start your New Year with Tom’s newest book “NOGGIN NUGGETS~ 365 Days of Exceptional Motivation" get your copy at www.NogginNuggets.com

A Small Business Revolution

As you return from your holiday season and begin your New Year… the question is how much of your work and life is actually going to be “new” for 2012?

Are your business expectations and self expectations genuinely optimistic, guarded or rather uncertain? Your answer to this question lies entirely in your beliefs of what is possible for you in the coming year. Whether you choose to believe for a little or a lot is entirely up to you. The key point to realize is that it is first and foremost a conscious “choice”.

Moreover, will you make the choice to become part of the economic solution?

I would ask you to consider that again in 2011 the casualty list for “big business” has been enormous. Just last week Sears/K-Mart announced the closing of 100+ locations. The other brand names that went out of business or closed retail outlets in the past year include Blockbuster, Borders, GAP, Anchor Blue, F.Y.E., Foot Locker, Talbot’s, Friendly’s, Pier One and Lowe’s. Even Macy’s, J.C.Penny, Walmart Marketside and BJ’s found themselves having to shut down many store locations and substantially reduce their staffing.

The obvious media storyline revolves around how bad the economic recession has been, how so many workers have lost their jobs and the resultant impact on both the uncertain economy and the wary consumer. However, there is a whole other not-so-obvious side to these big business events than you may be missing and which the main stream media is not covering.

What I’m driving at it this… big business is exactly what it says it is… BIG. In many ways too big for its own good. It’s all in how you choose to look at it. Big business is cumbersome in that it is slow in being able to deal with and respond to change. Its decision making processes are complex and slow. Retooling costs a fortune and takes time. Big business is laden with heavy debt and economic structures. Its ability to innovate is bogged down in lengthy and often questionable research and development projects. What’s more customer service, satisfaction and loyalty are continuing to decline.

Conversely, small business owners are agile and lean by comparison, and are therefore far better able to respond to changing markets and trends. You are able to make more expedient business decisions that are free from the procession of endless management and committee meetings. Small business has always been able to innovate and bring new products and ideas swiftly to the consumer market. The garage based small business start-ups like HP and Apple have clearly demonstrated this ability and the innovation capability of the budding entrepreneur.

Of equal significance is the fact that small business is historically responsible for creating 60% - 80% of all new jobs. The reality is that it is you the small business owner that holds the key to economic growth and future prosperity.

There has never been a more perfect time than now to raise your business expectations and performance bar to the extreme. This is not the time to hang back and wait for things to turn around in their own good time. Especially with the fact that there are more no cost and low cost ways to promote your business than ever before! So, why not get more aggressive about the results that you want to achieve in 2012?

The other important factor that you need to realize as a small business owner is that you have the direct ability to build and maintain meaningful relationships with your prospective customers and existing clients. As well, you have the capability to provide a level of personal service that big business for all intents and purposes is incapable of delivering.

When you take the time to really consider the big picture for business in 2012 and beyond… It is the small business enterprise that is going to fill the void of the big business organizations that have gone under or have been forced to downsize.

It is small business that is going to create the jobs, reshape the business landscape, invigorate the economy and fuel future prosperity.

I encourage you to make the conscious choice to be part of the economic solution and become a vibrant member of the small business revolution that radically grows their business in 2012!


Copyright © 2012 Developing Forward Thomas H. Swank, CBC All Rights Reserved.

Tom is a trusted advisor and mentor to business entrepreneurs worldwide. Jump-Start your New Year with Tom’s new book Noggin Nuggets ~ 365 Days of Exceptional Motivation order your copy at http://www.developingforward.com/Noggin_Nuggets.html