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Personal and Professional Challenges For Top Executives

Platitudes often fall flat in the business world. They are overused and lack meaning. It will help if you put purpose behind your words. A workplace that is driven by purpose and purposeful words will go a lot further than one that isn’t. Intentional stories will encourage your employees to work harder and more efficiently.

The Job Of A Top Executive

When you are named the top executive in your company, someone sees potential in you. It can fulfill an important job and take the company to a higher place. Your employees will be looking up to you and the decisions you make. They are listening to the words that you are saying to them.

As an executive, you need to find a way to lead and encourage your employees to be the best that they can be. It’s so easy to fall back on the platitudes that we are so familiar with. But, far too often those are meaningless words. Put forth the effort to mean what you are saying and make them have a purpose.

What Is A Platitude?

Compliments and encouragement are a way to encourage your employees. As a top executive at your company, you are the driving force that keeps things going. When talking to your employees, it’s easy to fall back on trite, overused, and meaningless platitudes. There are times there is a little bit of truth behind them, they are more of a cliché.

When complimenting and encouraging, put purpose behind your words. Don’t use the same old sayings that have lost their meaning. Show your employees what they mean to you and encourage them to pursue the purpose.

What Does It Mean To Have Purpose?

A business that is driven with purpose will improve much further. When executives rely solely on platitudes that sound nice to the ear, but lack concrete direction, the business will come short of its potential. Encouragement that is surrounded by concrete and precise direction will lead your company to higher levels than it has ever seen.

Platitudes are easy, they are already thought out but they are directed to a wide audience with a wide array of circumstances. Speak with purpose and your employees will rise to the occasion when clear direction is expressed. Leave the platitude to the greeting cards and speak with purpose.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Performance Management: The Next Shift

Do you have a performance management team at your business? It has been proven that teamwork is a beneficial part of businesses. So much more can be accomplished when people are working as a team to accomplish a goal. Some businesses design specific awards for teams that performed the best each month. That is to give motivation to the employees.

What Is Performance Management?

Performance management is what it sounds like. The management of performance that’s accomplished within the business. It is the process of teams working together to accomplish one main goal.

The type of business that you are running will determine the strategies that you take. Also, the ultimate goal will help to decide the steps you take to enhance your performance. When you have a performance management team, it can make a world of difference. Some of the steps that could be beneficial to take are listed below.

1. Planning

By making a plan, you are taking the first step to success. It is hard to achieve a big goal when you don’t have a good plan in place. Break it down to monthly or weekly goals to meet.

A good plan and realistic expectations will help to encourage the employees to stay on track. Make sure your ultimate goal is clearly stated. Everyone needs to understand what their jobs are.

2. Monitoring

The progress that is being made should be monitored and talked about often. To keep everyone on the same page and working at a good pace. Make a plan to review yearly goals with your employees. This should be done monthly.

You can even have short talks and check-in times to make sure everyone is staying on track. This will give you a chance to revamp different areas if needed.

3. Reviewing

It is important to have routine meetings to check on the status of your goals. If you do not keep these types of things fresh in people’s minds, they can be overlooked. This also gives the teams a chance to see where you are and how much further you need to go.

4. Rewarding

To motivate your employees to have the same drive as you do, there needs to be some incentives. It does not need to be anything huge, but enough to give them the motivation that they need to succeed. When they have a goal to meet, they will work harder to achieve it.

Please share your comments with us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Remote Work: 3 Important Questions

The pandemic changed a lot of things for many businesses. Many people began working from home, which was a new concept for a lot of them. This also showed many businesses how much they can accomplish while working from home. There are a large number that has realized they don’t need to have as many people working on location anymore.

Benefits Of Remote Working

Many of the people who began working have seen that it works well for them. You have to have a new mindset and level of focus to make it a doable task. There are boundaries and rules that you need to set for yourself to make sure you stay on track.

It opens a whole new level of freedom and flexibility when you work from home. There are a variety of businesses that are choosing to stay remote even when the pandemic resolves. They have realized that it works very well for them.

3 Important Questions:

Are you considering taking your business strictly remote? Or even leaving a percentage of it that way? There are some questions to ask yourself.

1. What Activities Should Be Remote?

In a remote and social distancing world, it has made many tasks difficult. Not every task that someone does for their job can be done from a remote location. That is why a clear understanding of what can be done remotely and what can’t will need to be outlined.

This is where companies will need to decide how to help this employee work from home. There could be a rotation of days that they report to the office to accomplish the jobs they can’t do remotely. That way they are not full time remote.

2. How Will This Work?

Decide what all employees need to make this job function as best as possible from home. When you make sure that they are equipped with everything they need, it will be able to work more efficiently. There may be some training that is needed to help the employees. It can feel alienating to work from home, so doing what you can to involve remote workers is important.

3. What Do Employees Need?

All jobs are different and may require different materials to be able to work from home. Some people may only need a computer and internet, while there may be more involved for other jobs. Employees will need to find a good place at their home where they can concentrate and stay focused.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

How To Hire For Skills And Less For Industry Experience

Hiring someone to work in your company is a big decision. You want to make sure that you are getting the right person for the job. Just because someone has previously done a job or has experience in certain areas, doesn’t mean that they are the right fit for that area of your business.

There are some things that you can look for and do to help make sure you are fitting the right person to the right area of your business. That way you are hiring someone for the skills that they are good at instead of just their experience in the industry. Let’s dive into some of the benefits of hiring in this manner.

Don’t Hire On Bias Standards

It is easy to believe that a man specifically or a woman specifically will fit a certain job best. While you should be hiring on the skills that the individual has and not by the sex that they are. When you hire an individual this way, you are going to get someone who can accomplish the job better.

Don’t Focus So Much On Degrees 

Hiring someone to fill a position that you have available is stressful at times. You are nervous to make the wrong choice in a person.

When you are advertising for a job position, but more of the focus on their abilities and training. Not so much on their degrees in college. Many people have the right qualifications and certifications, without a bachelor’s degree.

Look Beyond Job Titles

The job that people are hired for sometimes fits them well and sometimes it doesn’t. That’s because many people hire without thinking about their true skills and just based on their experiences. With recent experience with the pandemic, people are far more capable of more jobs.

You Will Benefit More

Focusing more on the skills that an individual has is going to benefit your business more in the long run. People are going to enjoy what they do on a whole new level as well. You will see that your business will flourish more and it is also going to save you money.

Many people lost their jobs over the past year during the pandemic of Covid-19, forcing businesses to expand their employees’ job titles. Having to move to smaller amounts of staff. This gave the paternity to expand people’s experience and skills.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Top Executive Challenges

There have been a number of difficult challenges that businesses all over have had to face through the pandemic of 2020. It has not been an easy process for people or business owners. They have had to make some very hard decisions and choices that made big impacts on people’s livelihoods. Now decisions have to be made as we move through this year on how to move forward with the many additional challenges.

Step into their shoes for just a moment, and think about all the big choices that they have had to make. No matter the need to do something, when it is something that is going to possibly hurt someone, it is hard to do. Many businesses had to make the very hard decision to lay a good portion of their employees off. Putting those people and their families in some hardships.

Making Hard Decisions

CEO’s have had to make some life-changing decisions over this past year. Laying off employees, furloughing, and possibly even closing the doors altogether. This has put them in some pretty tough situations and ones that don’t sit easily on the conscious.

Making decisions for a company is a lot of pressure and sometimes comes with a lot of stress. Even the ones outside of the pandemic. Many times you have to veto ideas and sometimes you can take the risk and take action. Making big decisions is a hard job either way it goes.

Taking The Heat

One reason that it can be so hard to make some of the difficult decisions that go along with being in charge of a business, is that you have to take the heat. If the idea fails or doesn’t flourish, it is you that is looked back on. That is a lot to carry.

Working Together

Running a company is not only the job of the CEO but also the employees who are working there as well. Yes, someone has to be in charge and make the final decisions, but it also can’t run properly without those who are working there alongside.

Teamwork is the best way to run a business and have it be successful. When people are not focused on the big picture and working together, things aren’t going to flourish as well. There are so many challenges that you can face as the top executive, but working as a whole company is the only way to see true success.

Please share your comments with us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

How to Implement Organizational Changes During The Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on everyone. So much changed and didn’t go the way it was planned. Many businesses closed, and the lucky ones went to remote working. There are so many areas of everyone’s lives that drastically shifted to an unfamiliar place. That is why implementing organizational and behavior changes is so important.

Drive Organizational Changes In The Workplace

Remote working is not as easy as it sounds. Especially, in times of a pandemic. The whole family is home and there are the normal distractions of the home around at all times. Change is a standard part of life, but sometimes it can be hard to accept.

As the individual in charge, it is worth your time to pour into your employees. In ways to help them cope during these times. Change is not always a bad thing; it can cause you to experience new things. It can help your employees to branch out and realize what they are capable of.

Encourage Behavior Change In The Workplace

Communication with your staff means being understanding. Show them that you care and understand what they are going through. They are more likely to listen that way. The behavior that comes with change may not always be positive. Change is a big thing in many people’s lives, and not everyone handles it in the same way.

There are ways that you can help your employees accept these changes that are occurring. Find ways to boost their confidence and introduce skill-building exercises. Help your employees find ways to be productive in these times. When change is accepted, it is much easier to handle. Behaviors will begin to change when you encourage them to be more positive.

How To Implement These Changes

There are ways that you can help your business be more acceptable to change. There are exercises and skill-building sessions that you can supply to them for help with this. The pandemic has been a crazy and stressful time for many, implementing ways to better cope with change can only benefit employees.

If you want to shift your business’s functioning, don’t wait any longer. Here are a few things that you can do:

• Help Your Employees To Understand
• Give Your Employees The Confidence They Need
• Listen To Their Thoughts and Give Accountability
• Be The Example
• Offer Skill-Building Opportunities
• Provide New Opportunities
• Be Their Cheerleader

Putting these changes in place can help you survive the pandemic for no matter how long it lasts.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

A Skilled Corporation

Finding skilled and qualified people to fulfill a job has become a bit challenging this past year. Covid-19 changed so much about how businesses run and how they hire. They have had to lay off a lot of people to keep headcounts lower and to make ends meet.

Someone’s skills are sometimes not always evaluated when they are hired for a job. The experience in a certain field is focused on more. But, sometimes people’s skills can be outside of their experience level. That means that finding what people are capable of should be looked into a little bit more.

How Businesses Are Recentering Their Focus 

Since the pandemic, the way businesses are hiring people has shifted. They are trying to look at the bigger picture more. Before COVID, only about 59% of the time did a business look into an employee’s skill set, but at their experiences. That has changed by 19% since the pandemic hit.

A Gap In Skills 

Looking ahead, businesses can see that there are going to be some gaps in the skills that people are going to be capable of. The pandemic of 2020 brought a lot of things to a halt, and many people had to stop schooling and things. Forcing businesses to find ways to close that gap that is foreseen to come.

In the next 6 to 10 years, many businesses have already predicted there is going to be a drastic drop in skills. That is why many are finding ways to re-skill and look further into their existing employee’s skill sets. Finding ways to help close that gap that is projected to be seen over the years.

What You Need To Do

As a business owner, you need to make a choice now as to how you are going to deal with this. Ways that you can go about this to make a difference in your company. 3 of the main ways to put things into action, are to deliver, engage, and reinforce.

Don’t hesitate to make the changes that need to happen now, deliver the change that your company needs. The pandemic has made the way that companies function to change a lot, some are working remotely for the first time. That may have created some challenges, but finding ways to stay engaged and work together can make it all work out. Social distancing can make it hard to reinforce all the business wants and needs, but finding the ways that work for you is vital.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Leadership Lessons From 2020

Let’s face it, 2020 was nothing less than interesting for most. A bit challenging and hard in many ways, especially for businesses. It has been the year for a lot of firsts as well. For instance, if you work for a business that is always used to going into the office, you may have been forced to go remote.

There are many challenges to working remotely, especially if it is not normal for you. Trying to connect, reinforce, and lead remotely is a hard thing to do. Although it’s been a year for the books, there have been some leadership lessons that have been learned through the course of 2020.

Taught Us To Not Waste Our Time 

Time is a very valuable thing, and people have known that for years. But, the recent events of 2020, it has shown us even more how precious our time is.

Don’t hesitate to chase your dreams or take a chance on something. You never know when that possibility won’t be available again.

Don’t Take Human Interaction For Granted 

Creating friendships and bonds with people is important, and to some, they may not have realized how important until now. Friends are a vital part of communication and having someone to talk to when you are stressed. With social distancing being needed for a good part of the year, it has isolated many people from human interaction.

Changed Many People’s Mindsets 

If you are someone who lost their job or had to take some time off during the 2020 pandemic, it may have given you time to dive into a lost interest you have. Sometimes we can drift from our visions of ourselves due to the need for a more stable income or that dream just wasn’t available at the time. This time out of your busy life may have just given you the opportunity to shift your mindset to something else.

Empathy Can Go A Long Way 

There has been so much to be shown through 2020. Many people’s lives have drastically changed and have been a hardship throughout this year. Losing jobs, getting sick, or having family members who are sick. Our words can be very powerful and should be thought about before they are spoken. Empathy towards others can really make a difference in someone’s day.

Please share your comments with us today!

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.

Decision Leaders Are Chief Architects

If you are someone in charge of making major decisions, it can be a very stressful job to hold. You have to present your ideas and decisions to people and hope they agree. It is not always easy to get multiple people to all think alike and agree on one main purpose.

That is where you have to be creative; you have to be the architect of the decision. If you are a leader of an organization, be proactive in order to help everyone agree. Present things in a way that everyone is involved.

What Does That Mean?

A lot of times the presentation of an idea is all it takes to make it a home run. If you just boringly present an idea without enthusiasm and a great presentation, people are going to argue or disagree with their different ideas. Everyone wants to have their way with things.

When you are presenting an idea, be an architect, and design it to be just right. Make it an offer that they can’t deny. Creativity and presentation is the main goal of being a decision leader.

Lay It All Out

When you are presenting a decision, you should make sure that the point is well presented. Making sure that everyone is understanding it fully. Let the details be clear and the plans very well explained.

Have a detailed list and record of all the decisions that were made, and why they were made. This will help everyone to fully understand exactly what all went into the overall decision. You are the decision leader and presenting it in the right way is very important.

Do Your Best

Architects design things, when you architect a decision, you are designing it. All in all, the presentation of a decision that you have made, has to be eye-catching. When you can show all the ins and outs of how you came to your decision, you are more likely to get more people on board with you.

We would love to hear your comments on this article or any of our latest articles.

Gary Brunson
gary@myclearfocus.com

Debra Rider
debra@myclearfocus.com

574.361.2674

Sustainable Growth & Profit Consultant, Coach, Mentor and Counselor/Therapist for Business Owners and Professionals.