Tough Times Require an Even Tougher Mindset

Tough Times Require an Even Tougher Mindset
 

There’s such a doom and gloom focus in the media at the moment that it can be difficult to retain a positive, proactive perspective – especially if times have been tough in your business.
Regardless of how your business is faring right now, if you do want to succeed, you have to get out of the “crisis mentality” and forget about the doomsayers – RIGHT NOW.
 

It’s important to remember that it is possible to achieve stellar business results despite the current economic climate – in fact thousands of businesses are doing just that. However, it’s not possible if you’ve convinced yourself that your business is at the mercy of the economy.
 

Savvy business owners can find new ways to improve or grow their business in any economy. It’s just a matter of looking at the challenges in your business or industry as opportunities – however you will need to keep an open mind and be prepared to change direction, reinvent yourself, and inspire your team and business partners to do the same.
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n reality, the success of your business is a function of your ability to make it a success, and whether you like it or not, that might mean:
 

• Leveraging your time – by leading rather than doing – so that you can spend more time working on your business rather than in it;
• Focusing on results and outcomes instead of effort or hours clocked;
• Accepting 100% responsibility for your business and your team – no excuses or ‘reasons’;
• Being brave enough to stop doing what you’ve always done (if it’s not working or no longer working as well as it could) and try a better approach;
• Saying YES more often to the things that matter and NO to those that don’t;
• Acknowledging that you are not an expert in every area of your business and then engaging professionals who are;
• Allocating time and money for self-education – seminars, books, training, workshops etc;
• Finally getting to grips with the “numbers” in your business and how you can improve them;
• Surrounding yourself with people smarter (or at least more objective about your business) than you – such as business coaches, mentors and peer advisory boards;
• Paying for professional advice before you need it; and
• Recognizing that difficult conditions demand even MORE persistence, determination and courage than ever before.
 

We didn’t say it was going to be easy...
 

That’s why we believe it is so important to celebrate every small success and achievement along the way – it helps balance the scales in our minds and align our thoughts to the positives in every situation. It is scientifically proven that we subconsciously attract more of what we spend our time thinking about, which means that our future business success could in fact be positively affected by focusing on the successes we’re experiencing right now.
 

By “success” of course we mean anything and everything that’s positive in your business right now. Find ways to document, share, and celebrate the little things along the way – and you’ll see the benefits almost instantly.
 

One such example of celebrating success that works really well is to have a big brass bell hanging in your sales office. Every time a member of the sales team books a new appointment or closes a sale they get to ring the bell (of course not while the customer is still around). The achievement is easily recognised and acknowledged by everyone within earshot and it benefits the entire team to work in an environment where success is being readily demonstrated. This is just a basic example, but there are many different ways to celebrate the small steps of achievement.
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f you’re struggling to think of what you should celebrate or how to celebrate, just ask your team – they know what really matters to them (but remember celebrating should not necessarily translate into spending).
Sharing successes is just as important as celebrating them. All too often team members achieve extraordinary results that go unnoticed, or there is a big win in one department that nobody outside that department knows about. You need to set up a system or process for celebrating, sharing and documenting success, as many team members feel uncomfortable sharing their success (they may see it as bragging) unless it has become a part of your company culture.
 

Whether they realise it or not, people do believe what hear and see on a regular basis. If they are exposed to positive messages and communications about the business they work for on a routine basis, they’ll naturally develop a much more positive outlook and determination to maintain the status quo (namely, that of SUCCESS). The same theory applies to you as the business owner – think how much more inspired you’ll feel about driving the success of your business if at the end of each day you’ve taken five minutes to celebrate what’s gone right rather than kicking yourself about everything that’s gone wrong.
 

Winning in business during tough times means facing the naysayers (and that may include you!) with an even tougher resolve to stay positive, committed, and most importantly – successful.
10X - The Business X Factor
 

www.10x.com.au/northshorecity