I’m sharing a few ideas from three different speakers and some high performing firms in this my third and final reflection on speakers at PAC17.
Tips from Paul Dunn
Paul reminded us of the value of video – if a picture is worth a thousand words, he believes a video is worth 1.8million! He quoted stats that when your website has video people will be on your site for an average of 48 seconds but with video it will be 5 minutes 48 seconds.
Like many of the speakers Paul made a number of comments about sharing your “why” (or purpose) with others. He believes your why should be front and centre on your website. Share why you do what you do and what you believe in. Differentiation comes from clarity of why and Paul encouraged us all to write it on our bathroom mirror so we see it every day.
Paul reinforced that purpose and values are the foundations of a great business and truly making a positive impact.
Interviews with Successful firms
Owners of some really successful firms were interviewed and here a few things I took away:
- One firm had stopped doing timesheets but went back to doing them to get proper measurement of what people were doing and get efficiency better sorted.
- One firm added $250k in revenue just by looking at leakage (work done that slips through the system without being billed).
- One firm increased revenue by over 50% without an increase in headcount. Their mantra was automate, eliminate or delegate.
- One firm sent the “bad” clients (ones they did not want to work with again) a goodbye letter.
- One firm had a hugely successful quarterly theme with a really clear (but challenging) revenue goal and the team achieved and all went to Vegas for a week. That’s right – they shut the business for a week and went to Vegas!
- One firm felt that implementing Client Service Coordinators was a real game changer. (If you don’t know what a CSC is and how they are used, contact me and I’ll explain.)
- For one firm having accountability for getting things done was the key to success.
- When you are clear about your why, mission, values don’t stop talking about them with the team.
Tips from Michael Sheargold
Decision x Actions = Results
Your business will never outperform your leadership. Ask your team what the top five qualities of leadership are. As CEO you are Chief Energy Officer – create positive energy in the direction of your vision and move away from the negative.
Five useful concepts:
- Themes
Either monthly or quarterly (I think monthly too often for most businesses) that focus on the most important things to be focused on in the business for that period. - Key Projects
These align with the theme and break down into no more than five key projects - Quick wins
Try to have one a week to build enthusiasm, energy and commitment - Investigate
Have a few ideas that you are exploring for the future. - Clean ups
This might be a few major or minor cringes in the business that just need to be cleaned up.
Catch people doing things right.
Tips from Warren Rustand
When you change the way you look at things then the things you look at change.
We have the opportunity to be remarkable if we adapt to change.
Leadership is about honesty, transparency and vulnerability. No one is the same as you – so find your unique voice of leadership.
Critical essentials of authentic leadership:
- Clarity of vision
- Certainty of intent
- Values
Creating alignment between these essentials brings success.
Take care of yourself physically and mentally to be a “yes to life” person – you are ready to go for any opportunity that might come your way.
People are attracted to energetic people.
What authentic leaders are/do:
- True to themselves and their beliefs
- Prepared to go it alone
- Concerned about serving others
- Continually learning
- Develop genuine relationships
- Build trust
- Empower others
It is not enough to be a good leader, you have to be a leader for good.
It’s quite a grab bag of ideas I’ve shared there and if you want to discuss any of them further please call or email me.