WorkMatters Tips Issue #34 – December 18, 2007
Publisher: Gayle Lantz mailto:lantz@workmatters.com
https://workmatters.com
WorkMatters, Inc.
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A quick tip to help leaders and executives who need to motivate their teams and themselves, and catapult their business.
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Improve Your Business in the New Year
As you determine what will help your business improve in the New Year, let opportunity be your guide. It’s not a typical starting point for many people. They’re too focused on problems instead. "We don’t have enough resources." "Change is happening too fast." "We’re not competitive enough." "Our team is dysfunctional."
Problems are easy to spot. Opportunities may be disguised. Opportunities can be hidden in the problems themselves. For example, if your business is not competitive, the opportunity may be to strengthen relationships with existing customers, to pursue new markets, to create a stronger distinctive advantage or establish a different business model.
Where are the new opportunities for your business? Get your team involved in uncovering them. Help your team hone their "opportunity spotting" skills.
Ask them to address these questions:
* What’s the best opportunity for YOURSELF?
Answers might include getting in front of more clients, developing speaking skills, mentoring a new employee, expanding your role or taking on a new one, spearheading a new initiative. Imagine the overall improvement that could be made if every employee committed to making just one improvement — to capitalizing on one opportunity.
* What’s the best opportunity for the TEAM?
Perhaps the team could launch a new project, improve communication, implement new efficiencies, save time, increase innovation, conduct more focused leadership or staff meetings, add new members or partner with another team to accomplish something bigger.
* What’s the best opportunity for the BUSINESS?
Look at external factors such as your current market, potential new markets, trends, competitors, the business environment, technology, etc. Maybe the business can serve a market that is being underserved, expand a service to create more value, better leverage technology or even change the organization’s culture. Make sure everyone is focused on the most important opportunity for the business.
Put opportunities on your radar now to guide your work in the New Year.
Here’s wishing you a happy holiday season, and a prosperous New Year, filled with many opportunities for you to discover and create.
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ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:
We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.
~ Charles R. Swindoll
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Reprinted from "WorkMatters Tips," a free ezine produced by Gayle Lantz featuring tips for leaders and executives who want to grow themselves, their team and their business. Subscribe at https://workmatters.com/signup