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Transforming Organizations to
Achieve Breakthrough Results
with the Value Advantage™
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 Personal
Note
I have to take a page
out of my dog training manual as I write the personal note for this
issue. I'm learning about
focus. Right now, Maya and I are working on "watch
me", an important exercise intended to get her attention and eyes
only on me and nothing else when I say those words.
 It's
hard work both for Maya and for me as well. I have to learn to spit treats directly
at her with the intention that she will catch them as a reward for
"watching me" when I tell her to. That's the hard part for me. The hard part for her is being able to
watch me exactly when I say to and not wander her attention to anything
else - not even rabbits that run by.
She's only been practicing this for a couple of days but she is
getting it. How? She is highly rewarded for doing
it. I lavish treats on her and she
seems eager to do the exercise twice a day now.
From this little
exercise I've learned a lot about focus and how rewarding it is. When I am determined to complete, say,
10 calls a day to potential clients I may grouse. But, frankly, it is paying off - this thing called concentration. I'm watching me stay on track. I lavish rewards on me too for staying
with my program (what they are can vary and they are not dog
biscuits). So, are you focused in
your determination to what seems important to you? I know it's paying off for me and
Maya. How about you?
Call. Let's talk about your focus.
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Whether you're a business owner, an executive, a manager,
or even an entry level employee, you know that the bottom line is
important to your company's future. After all, if the company doesn't
have a healthy enough bottom line (a.k.a.: profit), you probably won't
have a job with that organization for very long.
Unfortunately, some people believe that in the business
world, "profit" is a dirty word. They think that businesses
today make too much profit, and some may even go so far as to try to cut
into the company's profit margins. Realize, though, that profit is a good
thing for any business, and is the reason why that company exists. Even
if you're a consumer, you want the companies you do business with to make
a healthy profit, because that means they're going to be around when you
need them. Since you likely want every business you have interactions
with to be viable, you must accept the fact that profit is what makes
that possible.
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The #1 Management Challenge
Association executives often ask, "What is the most
common management challenge?" Most people think it is financing,
profit, product or service, and resources. While those are challenging
issues for every organization, no matter what their size, clear and determined focus on the most
important strategy or objective is the number one reason that
companies succeed.
Keep your focus on being the visionary you are. Decide
what you want your organization to become and center its daily activities
on achieving that. If you are crystal clear in your direction, and are
solid in conveying that to everyone in your organization, you will stay
on the mark.
Create a solid plan. Identify in detail, on paper, what
your business approach is. The objectives and strategy for achieving them
should be identified so that everyone who reads them can
understand. Now go hire good folks with that in mind.
Bring in the most talented, motivated, knowledgeable
people you can find. Manage to let the talent you bring in center their attention
on what they do best: managing the operations. Recognize that they may
not do it in the exact manner that you would, but they may still achieve
exceptional results, and you can remain focused on your job.
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Marsha's Value Advantage Quick Tip
Take Your Clients to Lunch - Do your own market
reserach: take your most valued clients to lunch and find out what they
think. Pick their brains. Ask for their opinions. Find out
how you could improve. They'll be impressed that you valued their
opinion.
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Events
Be sure to check out our new website www.EntrepreneurJumpStart.com
for information on upcoming teleseminars and our Entrepreneur
Jumpstart 3-day event for business owners.
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Free Newsletter for Your Colleagues
 Recommend this newsletter to others
who may be interested in good business tips and answers. Or simply
forward it to a friend! They can register as a regular email
newsletter subscriber by emailing me at Marsha@marshalindquist.com
or by going to http://www.marshalindquist.com
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