"If you want to be wealthy and happy, learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job.” - Earl Shoaff

You’ve prepared your business plan and now you’re identifying skills you’ll need to deliver it. You’re deciding whether to hire, outsource or give opportunities to your existing team members.

But sometimes the question you don’t ask is “What do I need to be able to deliver it?” For some people personal development is a never-ending journey, they can’t get enough business books, podcasts - you name it they’re doing it. Others have to accrue credits for ‘Continuing professional development,' to show that they’re keeping up with the times and committed to personal growth. Many have a coach or mentor to give them that helicopter vision of what’s missing.

I read an interesting article the other day where the writer posed themselves the question
"What am I becoming?" rather than just, "What am I getting out of this?"
That really got me thinking. 

As business owners our development and personal growth is like a pebble in the pond. It’s not just about us. We impact the lives of our team members and their families, our outsourcers, suppliers, etc. The more we can improve and grow the more we have to offer to others; the more we can enable our team to grow and encourage them in their journey of personal improvement, to be their own pebbles in their ponds and so on.

Do one thing: think about the person you’re becoming - is it the best version of you? How will your pebble impact the wider pond?

Thanks for reading. :)

Photo by Fabio Comparelli on Unsplash

I was reading an article yesterday by Henry Engelhardt - the CEO of Admiral. He’s really big into employee engagement, and said that that when the business was housed in one building, he would ‘walk the company’ four times a day.

He still gets involved in the welcome of every new employee - every single one since 1992 - giving each a piece of a jigsaw to symbolise that every individual team member is part of a bigger whole.

Love it!

He also gives them a share in the business, his logic being that if everyone has a share, then everyone’s shares do better! I guess you just need to look to John Lewis for further proof that that works.

Ok, so this is big business, but which of Henry’s ideas wouldn’t work for you?

Walking your business every day? Getting involved in employing new team members? Giving them a symbol of your togetherness? Or is it sharing your business that scares you?

What might it be like if you celebrated an employee’s 1 or 3 year anniversary with you by giving them a 0.5% stake? A team of ten people would own 5% of your business.  How might that engage them and make them feel valued? How clearly would it say, ‘We’re all in this together’? 

Scary or exciting?

McDonald’s used to pay consultants to find potential new restaurant sites until they realised that nobody would know better what was needed than the people who worked there. Their own people had the best knowledge of the business and their local area. So they encouraged them to send in suggestions for prospective sites and rewarded them when the a new restaurant opened as a result.  They found some great sites this way, and it didn’t cost anywhere near a consultant’s fee.

Great leadership isn’t always about the ‘once more unto the breach’ speech. People value a leader who takes an interest in them, their work and their contribution. Someone who makes the time to listen and ask for their opinions.

As we said last week in ‘Cake before icing’, it’s about getting the basics right before adding the bells and whistles.

Do one thing: floor walk today, even if it’s virtually, and see what you can learn from your team

PS There are two Simple Systems to help you in this area: How to be a Leader, and How to Reward and Recognise your Team

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk
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Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin…
Long, long, ago in a land far, far away there lived an old man. Each day he went to the stream with two earthen pots hung from either end of a pole. One was perfect, always full of water, the other was cracked and leaking, only half full when he got back to the house.
One day the cracked pot said (stick with me) to the man, ‘I’m so ashamed’.
‘Why on earth would that be?’ asked the old man.
‘I’m hopeless!’, said the pot, ‘water leaks out of my cracks all the way back to your house and you never get home with two full pots of water. I’m a failure.‘
“‘You couldn’t be more wrong’ laughed the old man, ‘you’re a wonderful pot. On the way back home look carefully at the side of the path and tell me what you see.’
All the way home the cracked pot paid attention, and at the end of their walk the old man asked him what he’d seen.
‘Flowers’ answered the miserable pot. “I know they’re beautiful, but it doesn’t help me. It was nice to look at the flowers but here I am only half full again. I’m still leaking. I’m still a failure. I’m so sorry old man.’
The old man smiled. ‘ You daft old pot’ he said, ‘There’s no need to be sorry. Did you not notice where the flowers were growing?’
‘Well yes,’ said the puzzled pot. ’On my side of the path, why?’
‘All these years I’ve planted seed on your side of the path. And every day as we walked back from the stream, you’ve watered them, and the seeds have grown, and the flowers have bloomed for all the villagers to see. You are a wonderful pot. Because you are the way you are, the village path is full of beautiful flowers.”
The cracked pot glowed with pride and happily watered the path for ever after, content that he was after all, a wonderful pot.
Sweet story, but how does it relate to you and your business? There are a few key learning points:

• Don’t compare yourself to others; focus on what you do best
• All too often we focus on what we haven't done, what we're not good at - take time to look at just how far you have come, what you've achieved already, and how much you've learned
• Never think you have to be perfect or that someone else is - we all have flaws
• Remember you are unique and special and have a lot to offer the world - look for the flowers in your life
• Value yourself and what you do for others. Your business helps the local and national economy, you may be providing people with jobs, you may support the local community, you may be a great dad, mum, child, you may simply make people smile every day…
• Make sure you make the people around you feel valued too.
  Tell them how special they are; the positive impact they have e.g. in your business, with your customers; because you can train them and and then trust them to do the job to your standardIf you’re thinking something good about someone, tell them, otherwise it’s a wasted thought. Don’t assume they’ve seen the flowers growing.

Do one thing: Brainstorm all the good things you do and all the value you add in your life as a whole, and in your business specifically, as a person and as a business owner. Then take the time this evening to celebrate your YOUness.

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk
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At this time of year, plans are essential, how else would we be able to achieve our business goals for the end of the year, do the Christmas shopping, buy the necessary food supplies…and of course fit in all the Christmas concerts and parties?!
The truth is though, that plans are always essential.

We all need to have a long term view of where we’re going… a clear Vision of the big picture…our big priorities. When it comes to ‘proper planning’ though, we need to focus in on a more actionable and immediate timeframe.

For me, that’s 3 years - long enough to keep me driving forward - short enough to recognise the outcomes I’m achieving and adjust course if I need to.

3 years

Your 3 year plan is going to be based on how close you want to get to your Vision over the next 3 years. How much profit do you want to have made? How many new customers? How many products? Do you want make yourself replaceable in your business by then? Or maybe you want to achieve that sooner, because there are other things that you want to have achieved in 3 years?

1 year

Your plan becomes even more tangible as you home in on the year ahead and get even more specific.

I love planning for a new year...twelve whole months stretching out ahead, full of opportunity and possibility. Developing a plan that is fully focused on the big game...the important stuff...the things that are going to move me and my business forward and build my personal and professional relationships.

Planning is crucial if you want to achieve...if you want to deliver measurable results. Yet so many of us head into a new year armed with only a broad set of goals and a jumbled list of tasks, and end up wasting time on irrelevant social media conversations and unfocused meetings and activities. Before we know it, we’re into March, and we’ve lost nearly a quarter of the year without achieving anything meaningful.

Getting any plan right starts with that big question: What am I trying to achieve...and why? and builds from there...goals, objectives, targets, deadlines, milestones, measures of success...all essential elements in a robust plan.

You’ll plan and book your holidays…yes, you should do that now, not only as a target to work towards, but also as a re-energiser for your mind, body and spirit.You’re going to need them, and besides, there’s more to life than work.

Quarter

You’ll then break your yearly plan down into quarters, with 90 day goals and targets, that you’ll come to by asking…“Ok, so if I want to be there at the end of the year…where do I need to be in 90 days?”

3-1-Q

I call it 3-1-Q planning, because you assess and adjust at the end of every quarter, every year and every 3 years. Always keeping your big Vision and your big Priorities in full focus. Always moving forward.

Every business owner needs a robust plan…a route map to follow…something that tells you where you’re headed and how you’re going to get there…and then keeps you on track.

Don’t leave home (or into the festive season) without your map!

…If you want want to improve the planning inyour business...if you get the What and want to know more about the How…then do pick up a copy of my bookProcess to Profit which shares a lot of info about setting up the 3-1-Q planning system…or, if you don't have time to read a book, drop me a line, and I’d be happy to talk it through with you.
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​For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

Is it really the last Friday before Christmas?!  Where has this year gone? And how ready are you for the one that’s about to begin?

I’m sure that, with so few days left before the big day, your mind is way too full of all the things that you have to get done...for both your family and your business...to read a long post from me, so I’ll keep this brief.

I have two simple suggestions for you, which I believe will not only make your Christmas both merry and bright...but will also set you up brilliantly to roar into 2014 with renewed passion and energy.


Suggestion number one...

Take time off over Christmas and the New Year...and I don’t just mean Christmas day!  Take at least eight consecutive days from Christmas Day through to Jan 2nd to relax and think of nothing but yourself and those around you.

If you can avoid checking e mails...do!

If you don’t have to write a blog or post on social media...don’t!

Take long walks, watch trashy films, spend way too long over breakfast and dinner putting the world to rights.

Eat, drink, and be merry...the business will still be there when you come back to it.

And what’s even better...while you’re ‘not thinking’ about your business, you’ll have some of your best ideas!  You’ll be able to see the big picture, and get clarity on those issues that have been your bug-bears over the last few months when you’ve simply been too busy to think.

The coming year will seem less daunting, more exciting, full of opportunity...and you’ll come back to the game knowing what you have to achieve...and why!


Which brings me to suggestion number two...

Before you switch off, spend a few hours, maybe an evening, with a glass of wine and a notebook pondering the question:
‘What am I trying to achieve...and why?’

It’s a hugely powerful question for planning - whether you’re looking at the next year of your life, or the next hour - forcing you to focus on what’s really important...your meaningful priorities.

Then, while you relax and have fun with your family, your subconscious will work its magic, just as it often does overnight when you’ve posed it a problem before drifting off to sleep.  When you come back to plan the year ahead, you’ll be amazed at how clearly you see the year laid out before you...not only what you’re going to achieve...but why...and how.

Of course we all know it’s not magic, just like we know that Santa doesn’t really come down the chimney...but even so, the presents still end up under the tree! So maybe it’s worth giving it a try.  What’s the worst that can happen...?

Have a fabulously fun and festive Christmas, and a hugely prosperous and successful new year.

God bless us...every one!

For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk

I’ve got a bit of a bee in my bonnet this week about communication…not the big customer communication stuff we’d usually talk about here…it’s the little stuff that’s got me all hot under the collar today.

In particular, the answering of personal e mails…and by that I mean e mails from someone we’ve met or done business with, sent directly to our personal business e mail address.

Now I know that we all get a lot of e mails, hundreds of the damn things every day, and there’s no way that we’re going to want to, or be able to answer each of those personally…that would be crazy.  But here’s the thing, if I’ve done business with you, if we’ve exchanged money in one direction or the other, if we’ve had conversations, shared information, added value to one another’s business in whatever way…then to me, we have a business relationship, and if I send you an e mail, I expect a response.

Tell me if I’m alone in believing that it’s simply rude to ignore a personal message from a customer, or even from a supplier who we’ve enjoyed value from in the past?  For me though, the impact can be much greater than annoyance at basic rudeness.

How will I view you if I have spent thousands, or even tens of pounds with you, and you don’t reply to my personal e mail to you?  How will I judge your values? Will it affect how much I like you, how much I’m willing to spend with you in the future? What sort of referrals will I give you?

I’m not saying that it’s easy to get to all of your personal e mails, and I do appreciate that some of you will get a hell of a lot more than me.  What I’m saying is – have a system for getting to them.  Develop your own disciplined process…one hour a day…a couple of hours a week, a half day a month where you sort your inbox by ‘from’, and just reply.  How long does it take to type ‘No thanks’ really?

And if you get that many e mails, chances are you’re pretty successful and have a personal or virtual assistant who can do it all for you.  I wrote to Michael Gerber (author of the E Myth) recently.  I imagine he gets a fair few e mails, requests, suggestions every day, and yet, two days after I wrote to him I had a reply, from his assistant, with a full and very friendly response to my e mail.  Now there’s a man who understands systems

Business is all about relationships.  We all know that people do business with people they know, like and trust…people who they connect with and share values with.  Those connections…those trusting relationships are built on a foundation of open, honest and consistent communication.  They are much quicker to break than they are to build, and they are precious.  Don’t lose them for the sake of a ten second response.
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For more information on how MPL can help you visit www.mariannepage.co.uk or contact me on hello@mariannepage.co.uk