I realised I talked a lot about business values and hadn't written any myself so I rectified that the other week. Imagine my surprise when they started to spell the word PASSION and even more when I realised the first value would be profitability!!
PASSION - without passion where would a business be!
Profitability - a reminder for me that we wont be able to keep doing what we're doing unless the work we do is profitable. Others may not need reminding but I do otherwise I'll keep forgetting to value (ie charge for) the service we provide. I love that it ended up being first on the list. We'll also apply this value when dealing with suppliers and other partners.
Authenticity - about saying "No" not "Yes" if that's the right thing to do and searching for those who we can easily say yes to because they accept us for who we are.
Sustainability - ensuring actions allow for the sustainability of our business, others' businesses and the planet.
Service - remembering why we do what we do ie to make a difference in others' lives by getting them back on track and connected to what gives them passion every day.
Intuition - not all business decisions will come with logic and lots of supportive data.
Openness - being honest sharing who we are and our journey and walking our talk even if we don't always find it easy.
Nurture -nurturing others so they may develop and grow and be the change they want to see in the world.
I'll let you know how we get on.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Inspiration to make a difference in the world in under 3 words
Pathfinder, Simplicity in Crisis, Unlocking Profit, Making Genuine Connections and Light in the Dark (ok that's 4 words) have all been recent examples of missions identified in recent sessions with people.
The discussions arose whilst exploring the seven steps out of the creek. Many realised they had got as far as Mission and got stuck!! There seemed to be so many things they could be doing and therefore lots of potential customers. However they didn't seem to be quite generating the attraction they needed or weren't quite enjoying their work as much as they knew they could.
Ever since starting working for myself I've been told to find my niche. The desire not to restrict potential customers has meant I'd ignored doing that. Until I realised that I could have more passion every day if I stuck to what I was really really good at than trying to do things I was just good at. Of course I'd also be doing what provided the most value to my clients too.
To get the answers above we just explored what we were really really good at (and enjoyed and had passion for) - and more importantly what benefit/value it delivered to our customers. The hard part was then identifying 2/3 words to describe the work that inspired us. We could look at what words we'd use with clients later - our mission is something we can connect with that provides daily inspiration and a reminder why we do what we do and how we can make the biggest difference in the world.
The discussions arose whilst exploring the seven steps out of the creek. Many realised they had got as far as Mission and got stuck!! There seemed to be so many things they could be doing and therefore lots of potential customers. However they didn't seem to be quite generating the attraction they needed or weren't quite enjoying their work as much as they knew they could.
Ever since starting working for myself I've been told to find my niche. The desire not to restrict potential customers has meant I'd ignored doing that. Until I realised that I could have more passion every day if I stuck to what I was really really good at than trying to do things I was just good at. Of course I'd also be doing what provided the most value to my clients too.
To get the answers above we just explored what we were really really good at (and enjoyed and had passion for) - and more importantly what benefit/value it delivered to our customers. The hard part was then identifying 2/3 words to describe the work that inspired us. We could look at what words we'd use with clients later - our mission is something we can connect with that provides daily inspiration and a reminder why we do what we do and how we can make the biggest difference in the world.
Monday, 5 April 2010
Recharge your batteries
I don't know about you but I have to keep an eye on my energy levels. A recent increase in activity and enthusiasm has meant the need to recharge my batteries has been at the forefront of my mind.
So imagine the scene - I've just sent some emails mentioning the need for me to ensure my energy levels are maintained. I walk into the kitchen and decide to make myself some porridge. I put the spoon into the box to bring out some oats and what comes out but some oats and an AA battery!!!
A long story how they (there was 2) got there but a great reminder that recharging our batteries is as much about what we eat as it is exercise and everything else we do.
So imagine the scene - I've just sent some emails mentioning the need for me to ensure my energy levels are maintained. I walk into the kitchen and decide to make myself some porridge. I put the spoon into the box to bring out some oats and what comes out but some oats and an AA battery!!!
A long story how they (there was 2) got there but a great reminder that recharging our batteries is as much about what we eat as it is exercise and everything else we do.
Thursday, 1 April 2010
It starts with giving
At a recent workshop I tracked a number of my projects to highlight the benefits of networking. However when I traced the work back to it's origin I realised that that was more about giving than getting. Yes I'd got some work out of the interactions but the original intention was more about me sharing myself and being of service to others.
The examples of giving included: Volunteering for Young Enterprise and Action For Children, offering advice and sharing thoughts on LinkedIn discussions, sending congratulations to fellow purchasers on their success, ad-hoc coaching, sharing articles, speaking, introducing people and general enthusiasm for other people's books, workshops and groups.
The key of course was giving with no attachment to outcome other than to be of help and assistance and because it made sense.
The examples of giving included: Volunteering for Young Enterprise and Action For Children, offering advice and sharing thoughts on LinkedIn discussions, sending congratulations to fellow purchasers on their success, ad-hoc coaching, sharing articles, speaking, introducing people and general enthusiasm for other people's books, workshops and groups.
The key of course was giving with no attachment to outcome other than to be of help and assistance and because it made sense.
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