Standing out

As the carousel revolved, I had a moment of panic, watching all the black suitcases going round and round.

I realized that because I was only in Ottawa for an overnight stay, I’d brought a different suitcase, one that was not labelled nor had any sign on it that would indicate its ownership.

Terrified that I would not identify my suitcase, I watched them all very closely.

Don’t worry, my case and I were happily reunited.  Part of my nervousness was that my “dress-up” clothes were in the suitcase and I had visions of myself talking at House of Commons in my jeans!

But there are some business lessons from this little story. 

1.     You have to stand out.  In a sea of black suitcases, mine looked just like everyone else’s.

Just like my luggage, if you don’t do something different to stand out, you run the risk of fading into the background.

2.     Let people know how to contact you.  If my luggage had gone missing or home with someone else, there was nothing on the suitcase to let the person know how to contact me. 

With your marketing materials, make sure it is clear how potential customers can connect with you.

3.     Protect your assets.  I quite easily could have had to make my presentation not dressed for the part. 

Don’t leave it to chance that a key element could go missing.  Have a plan B, so you are ready to face any eventuality.

What did I do?  I went off and purchased a luggage tag, tied a sock to the handle and so the journey home was less stressful.

Take the stress out of your business – plan ahead and make sure your unique offerings are evident to all.

Planning for success

“People commit to what they help create”

This back to school time of year also marks a fresh start for many of us in business. It’s a time of planning and focusing on the future

As someone from the non-profit sector, and even within my business, I have tended to use a SWOT analysis to determine future plans.  SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.  This strategic planning exercise is one commonly used by organizations and has its place in the planning of your business, organization and even your life.

However, at a recent conference I learned more about another strategic planning tool that excited me.  It’s acronym is SOAR – strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results.

What appealed to me is the focus on the positive.  While yes you do need to look at what could hold you back from achieving your goals, with SOAR the focus is on the future, while SWOT can leave you stuck, particularly if the weaknesses and threats seem overwhelming.

The presenter also advised that while SWOT tended to be a top-down approach, the SOAR process was inclusive, involving everyone, including members and clients.  As he shared, people commit to what they help create.  The advantages of SOAR is it draws on the energy and creativity of the participants, and fosters ownership in the outcome.

“You are starting from a different mindset.” he observed, and went on to suggest several questions to ask when going through this particular process:

• ·      What are the root causes of our success?
• ·      What key achievements are we most proud of?
• ·      What positive aspects of service have others commented on?
• ·      What are we known for?
• ·      What makes us unique?
• ·      What key resources and areas of expertise give us an advantage?

As you will see they are all forward-thinking, positive questions, helping you to look to the future and to build on your strengths.

While the presentation was aimed at non-profit organizations, I see great merit in using these questions to help you determine what you want to achieve moving forward in your business.  The terminology is just different, for example we’d talk more about brand recognition and unique value proposition, but bottom line whether you are running a charity or a business, we all want our endeavours to be financially successful and meet the needs of our clients.

So as you plan where you want to take your business next, consider using this technique – you may even want to involve key customers and members of your team in the process.

You've made THE decision... now what?

In the pit of your stomach there is a heavy feeling. Why? Because you’ve just made a major decision, and you are now second-guessing yourself as to whether it was the right one.

You know what? That’s to be expected, especially if it is something you’ve labored over in your head for a long time. That feeling of doubt however can quickly fade into more questions, like what next? How do I actually implement what I have decided to do?

Small steps. One foot in front of the other. Everyone has their own strategy for moving forward. Some take the end goal and work back. What do I mean? Say you want to revamp a publication you produce by September. Make a list of all the components that have to be done for you to accomplish this. Then look at what comes first, and start building a plan. Using your end date, set deadlines for each task so you stay on target and move your project along. 

You may also need to recruit people to work on this project, so consider the skill sets required and look within and outside your network for who may fit the bill. Do you have a budget? What can you afford? Ask yourself these tough questions, before you make any financial decisions that could end up costing you more money than you have.

Or perhaps you are changing direction in your business, with a new focus and new customer base or changing your career. While it may seem like starting over again, and in some ways it is, you have more experience under your belt and doing your homework will kick-start your venture. And with careers, so often our skills are transferrable, so in reality, you are not starting from scratch. 

As you can maybe tell, I am a list maker and I try to approach big projects – be it business or personal – by breaking down the tasks into manageable bite-size pieces.   I also happen to work well to deadlines, so I prefer to set myself a timeline around which I can assign different tasks.

The above are concrete steps to move your plan forward, but what isn’t part of this equation is how to deal with the self-doubt and negative thoughts that will creep in uninvited as you try to make changes. And for some, this is a tougher hurdle to overcome. After all, your inner critic has likely been living inside your head for years – and this gremlin can be hard to squash or quieten down.

This is where having a support team of friends and colleagues comes in. You need to surround yourself with people who believe in you, who are your cheerleaders no matter what, but who will also share the hard truth when necessary. By taking small steps you can have sweet wins along the way and make sure to celebrate these successes as you step out of your comfort zone and take this bold step into your future. I make this sound simple, and I know it’s not – but you don’t want to let your self doubt hold you back. You deserve better.

Sometimes once those big decisions are made, you feel lighter, freer and more confident. Go with that feeling.. Hold that dream. Hold it tight. Like the beautiful kite dancing in the wind, the universe is telling you that you are on your way, soaring way beyond what you ever thought was possible.

Call me matchmaker or what...

Are you nervous? asked one woman.  She was enquiring about my conference which is fast approaching.  

I thought for a minute, and replied actually no.  It is always such a great day.  It’s like holding a party and having all my friends come.  

Lots of hugs, a few tears and a steady dose of laughter, what could be better for the soul? And yes, some learning too.

So no, not nervous.  Just trying to pace myself because it is a physically demanding event to put on.  All the detail, all the different elements to consider and preparing for what could go wrong.

I often joke that I must have been a wedding planner in another life because when it comes to the lunch part, I really try to put people with others that will either lead to business or potential partnerships or  support because they face similar challenges.

I remember last year one woman reported back that she’d actually landed a new client after meeting  over the lunch.  She sounded surprised.  I wasn’t.  That is part of what makes the conference so much fun for me.  It is connecting people whose paths may not have otherwise passed, but like a “connect fairy” you can make it happen.  What power.

So no – not nervous.  I've been weaving conferences for years. So bring it on.  Let the party begin.

FAST FORWARD FIVE YEARS

Do you know what you will be doing five years from now? That was a question I was asked this week, and it was one I found difficult to answer. Not because I don’t have goals or a vision of what I want to achieve, but more that five years is a LONG way out.

In today’s economic unrest, we don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, let alone five years down the road. When I worked in the non-profit sector, we actually stopped doing five year- strategic plans, because with swings in funding priorities, who knew what the future would bring. It seemed like a wasted exercise, so instead we focused more on the short term – often planning one to three years out.

But there is another reason that I think it is a mistake to plan too far ahead – it can make you too locked into what is down on paper, and you could lose the ability to be nimble when an opportunity arises. To me, it is more important that you are clear on your mission, your focus and target audience – because then you are less likely to get pulled off track.

Now don’t get me wrong, I have operational plans and I’ve found putting my goals down on paper, makes it more likely that I will achieve them. It’s like setting off on a road trip, you are more likely to reach your destination if you’ve set out knowing which direction you are headed.