Following up on yesterday’s blog on ‘10 Steps To Crystal Clear’, listed below are the next five steps to these best practices. I hope this has helped you cut through the fog, disregard the tyrannical onslaught of urgencies, and get back to feeling clear and in control.
- Measure Your Progress – Nothing feels better than crossing those completed strategic items off the list, does it? You need to measure the things that you’re trying to accomplish and track the actions, owners, and the timelines. Celebrate when the plan comes together with flawless execution, and develop a gap plan to catch up whenever the actions fall behind the expected timeline. That’s the best way to stay on track and to stay clear.
- Avoid Negative Influences – I like a good rainstorm every now and again, but on a day when I’m trying to get things done, a nasty thunderstorm brings me to a standstill. Negative influences and negative people are a lot like a violent rainstorm in the middle of a sunny day, they really screw up the program, don’t they? So, don’t surround yourself with Negative Nellies and Negative Norms, they will only bring you down, and slow you down.
- Address Your Stress – Every one of us has to learn to deal with stress effectively, and we often struggle with it needlessly. Expect stress, don’t let it surprise you. When you’re expecting a few problems in life, or you’re expecting some opposition to your bright idea, you can be better prepared to overcome the challenge. Count to ten. Breathe deeply and regain your composure. Take a break. Take a walk outside with your dog. Call a friend and have a positive talk. When you’ve gotten back to your center, then go back and tackle that challenge that caused stress and overwhelm it.
- Get Reinforcements – You don’t have to go it alone in life, or in business, for that matter. Recruit some reinforcements who can bolster you when your commitment is flagging. Find a kindred spirit who will agree to be your accountability partner. Tell them about your strategic and tactical goals and ask them to help keep you focused and accountable. If you have the resources available to hire a coach, do it! Nothing keeps us sharp like an ally who is looking out for our best interests, and working with us to see ourselves and our opportunities for growth from a different perspective.
- Regroup When Things Go Wrong – Don’t give up. Not ever! You can do this! When you get disappointed, or you get distracted, remind yourself of what is most important and why you’re doing the things you’re doing. Regroup and find your center. Reframe negative thoughts and conversations into positive thoughts and optimistic plans. Then refocus and begin again. I have seen people do this, and regain control and use it to help them regain their health, regain profitability in their business, and regain their sense of joy about living as a top performer. You can do it, too!
Back to those business owners at the event last week… I hope you’re reading this list because this is all you need. You don’t need some fabulous new book, or some infomercial from TV or the Internet to regain your focus and your clarity. You just need to get down to the basics and put together a common sense plan after spending some time thinking. Trust me, you’re worth it! Every one of us has enormous untapped potential, the kind of potential that can change the world if we just stop making excuses and letting the world kick us to the curb. Are you going to waste all of that untapped potential, or are you going to harness it and get back into the game and get clear? Cut through the fog of war, and get crystal clear about what you want, and what you need to do to make it happen. Then make it happen. Do a little bit at first, and challenge yourself to build momentum. Before you know it, you’ll be at cruising altitude at about 30,000 feet, and the view from there is FANTASTIC! Enjoy the journey!
Michael is an award winning business coach in Minnesota, where the leaves are turning this time of year. Michael enjoys working closely with many emerging sales professionals to help them ascend the leaderboard in their organization. He has built a powerful coaching program that helps Account Executives to maximize the potential in their territory, by focusing on the fundamentals of mastering the art and science of selling solutions. Send us an email to info@michaelbeachcoach.com to subscribe to Michael’s “Coffee With Michael” e-newsletter where he regularly gives away valuable content to subscribers and offers a variety of special once-in-a-lifetime offers to workshops and online courses of extraordinary value. Michael is the CEO of Michael Beach Coaching & Consulting and enjoys helping Emerging Leaders to deliver ambitious results.
