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As a business consultant, I have had an opportunity to meet and help hundreds of successful people. I find that the successful people I encounter have one consistent behavior: They accomplish what is important.
As trite as this may sound, it is not all that easy to achieve. It requires us to determine what is important, and then stay focused on that objective.
If you think this article is going to be all about motivation, it won't be. I am not a big fan of blind emotional motivation. Rather, I would like to suggest what behaviors and actions you should take to help you reach your desired goals. Activity, rather than whimsical emotions, drives success.
Secret 1: Set aside time for success. Change never comes easily, and most of us are so busy with our day-to-day lives that we have little time to dedicate for change or new direction. Set aside a specific time to think about and work on the big picture. Schedule this time just like you would a hobby or weekly social activity. Use it to work on the big plan and change. As simple as it might seem, many people fail just because they do not make time for success.
Secret 2: Stop using excuses and hold yourself accountable. You are the only person responsible for your success. It is not the economy, your spouse, your competitors or your employees standing in the way of your success—it's you. Focus on the future and where you are going, and set milestones to measure progress. This is not motivation—it's realism. Complaining about why you have not succeeded takes up precious time and does nothing to ensure success.
Secret 3: Set reasonable goals. Unrealistic goals will only frustrate you and slow the process. Remember that growing a business takes time and discipline. You must simultaneously grow the three basic business disciplines of financial, sales and marketing, and production.
Moving too fast in one discipline direction will throw the business out of whack, and you will have to regroup before moving forward. Talent will only take you so far. You could be the best tradesperson, but you can only do so much. You can be a great salesperson, but sales will only take you so far. Great athletes have the discipline to be patient and work at their success with professional coaching and sound practice. Great businesspeople must exercise this same discipline.
Secret 4: Choose your mentors and coaches wisely. It is great to get advice from a successful businessperson. But you are not that person, and what made them successful may not work for you.
Be careful of advisors who seem to have all the magic bullets. In our networking groups and with consulting, I try to follow a simple philosophy of telling people the truth, packaging advice in a format they will actually follow, and only consult where I believe I can make a difference. You see, I don't think contractors need more ideas. Rather, they need help in implementing the right ideas.
I always offer free advice to potential participants because I want to see if there is a consulting fit. The same stands true for you; just call me at 800-864-0284, or sign up for our free monthly newsletter at proofman.com. Working free for a few minutes saves us both time in the long run.
Secret 5: Be careful of what you wish for. I am amazed at how many contractors blame their business for all of their problems, yet, when fixed, their problems just seem to get worse. Suddenly the business owner is making more money than he or she ever imagined, and yet they are more miserable than ever. No one ever put a financial statement on a tombstone.
It is important to keep your goals and needs in perspective and have a balanced life. This does not mean that you won't have to push to get your business to a certain point, but there is life after and during business.
Secret 6: Make a public commitment and keep score. Successful people make their goals public and accountable. All great athletes play better when the game is on the line.
Find another businessperson or group of peers to work with. I laugh when someone from our networking group puts in their annual goals to fire someone, and then they do it a year later just prior to the meeting. Accountability is best served in public, and peer pressure is a powerful thing.
Success is about commitment and performance. Going on a diet is easy, but losing weight is hard. Successful weight control organizations learned a long time ago that the weekly weigh-in was a key ingredient to a successful weight loss program.
Secret 7: Measure success. How can you win or lose without measurement? Measurement and knowing the numbers keeps your effort honest and accountable. If you want to make more money, how much will you have to charge, how many jobs will you have to complete? Want a better quality of life? Then measure things like the number of days off you take, and what time you get home each evening. Setting measurable goals is a must.
Secret 8: Evaluate how you spend your time. Try keeping a time card on yourself. Once you have a clear picture of what you are doing, evaluate your activities line by line. Grade each activity by importance of the task, the value of what was done, if you could delegate it to someone else, etc. Only by knowing how you spend your time can you hope to do the things that are important.
Secret 9: Do some things that are fun. Do what you like in your business, and do some things you like outside your business. Schedule these fun activities into your calendar just like a sales call. If not, you may never get around to it. When we were kids, we could just run over to little Johnny's and play; as adults you have to make time for fun.
Remember that success is different for each and every one of us. Make sure you have a clear understanding of what you want, and then manage your behavior accordingly. If wishing to be successful was all that was required, it would not be so elusive for so many people.
Monroe Porter is president of PROOF Management Consultants, a consulting firm that moderates networking groups for contractors. Contact Monroe at 800-864-0284 or e-mail monroe@proofman.com.
author: By Monroe Porter