To be a true leader in today's world you must be ready for change, adapt to change and, better yet, LEAD change.

Change is certain. Ignoring change, not being open to different views or different ways of doing things is one of business’ biggest limitations of growth.

If you want to enhance your ability to innovate, to run a more competitive organization, be a better leader, to lead change, you need to understand the Business of Paradigms. It’s imperative that you develop the ability to see with “new eyes”. Decisions you face, challenges presented, questions to be answered - you must be able and willing to see them un-filtered by your perspective – your paradigms..

PARADIGM – The definition of paradigm given in the dictionary is “Pattern or Model”. Futurist, Joel Arthur Barker, gives an expanded version of the definition that helps relate the term to business discussions easier.

A paradigm is a system of rules and regulations that does two things:
1. Some rules set limits or establish boundaries, like a football field goal line or sideline; or like the foul lines of a baseball diamond.

2. Other rules offer guidance on how to solve problems that exist inside these boundaries.

So a paradigm is, in effect, a set of rules for problem solving. And a paradigm shift is when you change from one set of rules to another. In business, the rules are changing all the time – the shift is happening all the time. Those who don't (or don’t want to) see it, will be left behind.

The Portland Press Herald series “Portland at a Crossroads” illustrates perfectly the challenges created when a paradigm shifts – and there are those who lead the change sitting side by side with those who don’t want things to change. Sticking your head in the sand is the most unproductive, dangerous thing you can do because change happens - the future is coming whether you want it to or not.

As an example of a business paradigm shift consider the watch industry. For centuries, the Swiss owned the watch industry. In fact, in the late 60's the Swiss had a 65% share of the global watch market and over an 80% share of the global profit.

How then, within only 10 years did the Swiss market share fall to less 10% market share? What happened? The watch paradigm shifted. The quartz watch happened.

Quartz watches didn’t have the sophisticated watch movements, there were no bearings, no main springs, and no moving parts. The Swiss watch manufacturers did not “SEE” quartz watches as competitors – quart watches weren’t “SEEN’ as watches but as fashion accessories.

So, who developed the quartz watch? …The Swiss…

Swiss design-engineers created the quartz watch and presented it to the Swiss watch manufacturers – who turned the engineers away. They were so blind to the “quartz” possibility that they didn’t even patent the idea. Later that year at the global Watch congress, the Swiss research engineers displayed their quartz creation.

A little, unknown Japanese company named Seiko, happened by, saw the design…and the rest is history. Within 10 years – The Swiss had gone from owning the market, to not even being a player. Seiko went from nowhere – to being a leader in the global watch market.

Change is inevitable and today changes come faster and faster. Whether it’s your competition, your marketplace or the community in which you live – change is happening. It’s not going to stop so sitting around and complaining that you liked things the “way they used to be” will only prove to be your downfall.

What's next? For you - For your business – For the Greater Portland area? Who knows. What I can tell you though, is that almost without exception, all new inventions, new concepts, the next BIG THING, they are all conceived "on the fringe". If you want to be ready for the future; if you want to stay ahead of the competition and lead the way, be open to seeing with new eyes. Watch what’s happening on the fringe of your industry and in the world. That’s where the future is born, on the fringe. Be careful when you dismiss that next "crazy" idea.

On Tuesday, December 6, I'm holding a free workshop I call "Visionaries - Making It Happen". It's at the Portland Harbor Hotel and the space is limited, but use this link if you would like more information. The workshop covers a number of areas that typically hold people back from achieving the results they want, one of the most critical of which is self-limiting paradigms.

If you are reading this after December 6 and would like information on any upcoming workshops and seminars, please check my website at www.BoldVisionConsulting.com

Until next time – Bold Results start with a Bold Vision! Go out there and Be Bold!

Is fear holding you back from building your business?

When I was promoted to my first professional position (let's face it, we're all in sales) the thought of meeting new people one-on-one--let alone speaking in front of a group strangers--terrified me. I would walk into the meeting room or the conference room; my heart would pound and the temperature of my hands would fall below the freezing point. I may have appeared confident and professional, but the thoughts running through my mind were “I’m not a sales person! I don’t fit in here! What if say something stupid!”

What was the total price tag I paid for this fear? What did I miss in bonus pay on the business I did NOT attract? It’s hard to say and candidly, I’m not sure I want to know; but I have no doubt the total approached the high 5-figures. Not to mention all the new contacts and friends I could have developed. After all, it’s who you know as much, if not more, than what you know that is important.

Don’t get me wrong; I still have to work at it. But, for someone who could barely gather the courage to walk into a business meeting, I feel I’m now an outgoing business owner, conducting workshops, seminars and speaking. In fact, after I complete this article I’m hopping on a plane headed for France where I’ll speaking about how to master the art of “Making It Happen” to a group of American and British ex-pats living in Paris.

Does fear or shyness hold you back? Does it steal from your profits or keep you from taking that step toward your business dream? There is hope. Just as I am reaching my goals --in spite of my fears and shyness—you can too. I have a lot of ideas to share on this subject, but here are 5 tips to help you get started and break out of your shell:

1. Set & write down goals. What do you want to achieve? By simply taking the time to define your goals and write them down, you join an elite group. Only 1% of the population actually document goals. AND Research shows that, on average, this 1% who DO document their goals earn 10 times more than those who do not. Add a zero to what you’re currently making. That’s a big difference.

2. Before you enter a networking event or gathering, prepare what you'll say in advance. Write down questions you want to be sure and ask. Make notes of the points you want to make. Prepare for a business meeting or networking opportunity as if you're preparing for a speech. That way, even if you’re afraid as you talk, you'll get what you want to say, said.

I do this especially when I’m going to an event and I know someone I want to meet will be there. I make sure I have background on the person and their business, I prepare questions and comments and I know my desired outcome. Most of the time what I want to walk away with is an invitation to send them more information or to give them a call. Remember, networking isn’t a "close the sale" call – it’s networking.

3. Arrive at meetings and appointments early. You know who you want to talk with and you know what you want to ask and say. You’re late and you rush in, out of breath, the room is packed…. Your mind is racing, you completely forget your name, much less the questions you wanted answered…even who it was you wanted to meet.

4. FOLLOW-UP... Referring back to my post of 10/19, you’ve got to follow-up with people you meet. Following up is the main point, so an email is fine. However, a handwritten note is much more effective. It doesn’t take much time, just a few lines-- "Good to meet you this morning / afternoon. I'm excited about your business". Today it’s unusual for someone to send a personal note. More likely, the next time the recipient sees you, they will come to you to talk. That will make your (networking) life so much easier, won’t it?

5. Evaluate what works. As you gain more experience, you’ll notice there are phrases, comments and questions that are more effective than others. Use them… a lot. On the flip side, phrases or actions that seem to get no response, or worse, a negative response, take notice and eliminate them from your repertoire.

Learn from your mistakes. When you take time to assess your approach, you'll position yourself to be more successful in your interactions with people.

The main thing is setting and documenting your goals and Getting Out There. More than likely, a big change won’t happen overnight; but keep at it regularly, one-day-at-a-time. Each time you have a little success you’ll think, `That wasn’t too bad,' and you’ll be inspired to try again. The more success you experience, the more confidence you’ll have. And the more confidence you have, the less fear.

Your success as a business person and an entrepreneur is dependant on how well you communicate. If you allow fear of sales or shyness to control you, don't expect great success in business. Use these 5 tips to break the cycle and reclaim your power.

Until next time – Bold Results start with a Bold Vision! Go out there and Be Bold!

Businesses are always looking for ways to make their management and staff more productive and their companies more profitable and competitive. Many companies have turned to training and development that may bring about temporary improvements. Others have created rigorous strategic plans that don’t deliver the full expected outcomes.

Not to get to egg-head on you, but I read an interesting article recently and I would like to share some statistics. According to authors Michael C. Mankins and Richard Steele in the August 2005 Harvard Business Review article titled “Turning Strategy into Great Performance”, on average only 63% of the objectives of strategic plans are achieved. This means that 37% of the plan objectives are NOT achieved - a 37% performance GAP. Or, in other words, if a sales plan calls for $100,000 in new business, $37,000 would have been left on the table. That's a lot to lose.

Why? What are these organizations doing or not doing to result in such a big difference between an organization’s strategic goals and the actual results? What gets in the way?

Surprisingly very little is attributed to a "tangible", such as lack of or unavailable resources. The key issues are how well the team communicates, aligns around top initiatives, creates short term and long-term plans, and holds themselves accountable to deliver the results.

Intellectually, most people know the importance of communication and accountability to successful achievement, yet they don't have the know-how to do what it takes to improve these skills. Or, more likely, they lack the discipline to do what they know is needed each and every day. What needs to happen may be common sense, but it is not common practice.

Communication, Leadership, Perseverance, Accountability, etc. - are often referred to as “intangibles” because the loss incurred by the lack of these skills is difficult to quantify in the traditional sense, i.e. Dollars & Cents. Therefore, most organizations don’t rate the importance of these skills to successful performance as high as they do the more typical indicators of success.

Yet research clearly shows that these “intangible” skills and disciplines are the biggest differentiating factor between organizations that do consistently achieve their planned strategic results and organizations that do not.

The top "intangible" issues contributing to this performance gap are:
• Poorly communicated strategy 5.2%;
• Actions required to execute not clearly defined – 4.5%
• Unclear accountabilities for execution – 4.1%
• Organizational silos and culture blocking execution – 3.7%
• Inadequate performance monitoring – 3.0%
• Inadequate consequences of rewards for failure or success – 3.0%
• Poor Senior Leadership – 2.6%

What can you do to close the gap in your business?

Start by acknowledging that your people are your business. More than your strategy, your marketing plan, your IT system or even your entire finance department full of spreadsheets, management information and predictions; people are the key to your success. To transform your business, transform your people.

Getting your employees, across the organization to work together, communicating with trust, taking personal responsibility for their own performance, as well as that of the overall business will generate considerable improvement. The secret lies in making sure that everyone in your business – including you – has the right attitude and is taking the right actions to produce results, time after time.

There are a number of options businesses have that can help them address the performance GAP. The particular program I use is called Best Year Yet, a planning and implementation process designed to bring about sustainable change for improved performance. This is the program I’ve found successful for myself, as a business owner, and in helping my clients.

The specific program, however, isn’t important. The important factor is to bring about sustainable change in the organization that will result in improved, lasting performance. For this to happen, make sure any effort taken addresses all of the issues noted above AND make sure there is unwavering support for this initiative “new way of doing business” at the top.

Until next time – Bold Results start with a Bold Vision! Go out there and Be Bold!