Executive Coaching

GROW Your Business – Goal Setting for Success

It is fear of failure that stops us setting a goal, fear of success that stops us achieving it and fear of change that keeps us stuck in the present situation.

If it is fear holding you back, then face that fear, trust your gut instinct and intuition and take small steps of courage towards your goal. This helps you to regain control and respond well to opportunities to grow your business into the one you’ve always dreamed of having.

If you are frustrated that your business is not developing as quickly as you would like, then try this goal setting framework to help you set a business goal, look at all the options then choose the best way forward to achieve it, thus growing your business to greater success.

Goal
Ask yourself: ’If I knew I was going to be successful, what would I be doing with my business?’
Set a goal to grow your business, make it SMART (specific, measurable, appealing, realistic and timed i.e. by when do you want to achieve it).
State it in the positive i.e. what you want to happen.
Choose values you hold, to draw on for motivation e.g. challenge, achievement, security, freedom.

Reality
What is the reality right now, in respect of this goal? Be honest with yourself.
What needs to change?

Options
What are your options for achieving this goal? Keep asking: ‘What else, what else?’
(Be as creative as possible, do not discount anything, look at every possible option)

Way Forward
Review all your options and decide the best way forward. Follow me if you are looking for great career advice.
Decide what actions are needed for the chosen option, to achieve the goal.
Add a timeline, deadline or milestones so you can monitor your progress, put these in your diary.
Think of someone who can hold you accountable, who you can share progress with and then celebrate success with when you achieve your goal.

Remember: ‘You get what you focus on’. Focus on the problem and you get a bigger problem, focus on the goal, solution or outcome and that is what you will achieve.

If you would like one to one support in setting goals and growing your business, then go to www.careercoachlondon.com and contact me for a free consultation.

I look forward to helping you grow your business to success.

Lindsay

Life after Redundancy

Being made redundant can be a devastating time, particularly if you thought you had a ‘job for life’. Sadly, it seems these are no more.

Working through the various emotions you feel following redundancy, is an important stage. These emotions may include anger, resentment, bitterness, or perhaps relief. Releasing negative emotions and coming to terms with what has happened is necessary to be able to move on.

Rebuilding self-esteem, self-worth and confidence is the next step. Even if you really wanted to leave the company, when it happens, it can be quite a blow. So being able to talk about what has happened in a positive way can take some effort and practice.

What next? Taking time to work out what you really want to do will help you get motivated to start taking action. Whether to stay in the same industry, try something new or even start your own business are important choices to make.

Having someone to support you through all these stages after redundancy is essential. If you don’t have that someone, then a career coach can make all the difference both to the speed you move through these stages and to the success you have in finding the right job for you.

If you or someone you know has been affected by redundancy, contact me to discuss career coaching support available. Having been through redundancy myself, I understand the emotions and challenges involved and I have had great success in supporting my clients in getting their dream jobs.

Lindsay

Career Coaching Executive Coaching Personal Development Success | LWDadmin | December 11, 2011 | Leave a comment | anger career coaching career support confidence coping with emotions dream job making decisions redundancy tips self-esteem starting a business taking action

Career Coaching Networking Tips

Networking can be daunting for some people, it can be one of those things on the ‘to do’ list that never quite happens or for some it can be an enjoyable highlight of the week and a pleasurable way to do business.

Here are some tips that have worked for me and for my clients to make networking easier and more productive:

Be prepared: Research the various networking meetings available and choose ones where people attend, that you want to meet; set objectives of what you want to achieve and who you will speak to at each event, not how many sales you will make.

First impressions: Look your best and behave in a business-like way; be on time; have up-to-date business cards to hand; give a good handshake and keep eye contact, look and sound relaxed and confident.

Introducing yourself: Prepare what you are going to say about yourself, whether it is a ’60 second’ presentation or for a one-to-one introduction, think about what is important to get across and eliminate unnecessary waffle.

Listening and questioning: Listen carefully to what people say to you and ask questions that are relevant and show interest in their work/business; find out as much as you can before you talk about yourself, so you can tailor what you say to make the best connections with them and show how you can add value to them.

Work the room: Be ‘present’ i.e. focus on the person you are talking with; be respectful, when it is time to move on, thank them for their time, rather than making an excuse to leave; remember your objectives, make time to speak to all the key people on your list.

Build relationships: Find common ground, be generous, helpful and positive; you are there to make connections to start to build relationships with people you may do business with in the future; do not try to sell to people, this will make them back off.

Follow up: The most important thing after the event is to follow-up, send an initial email, take any action you agreed with them and then diarise to make a follow-up contact.

Follow them on Twitter, befriend them on Facebook, connect on Linkedin, read and comment on their blog, all these actions will ensure your name stays fresh and positive in their minds for whenever a business opportunity may arise.

Happy networking and do comment below if you have anything to add.

Lindsay