Thoughts On Leadership: Be Visible

Be Visible

When all is said and done your people are going to make all the difference in your organization; the sooner you realize this the better off you will be.

Everyone?

A secret of leadership is 'Everyone Knows Everything'. Don't assume your people are stupid. Your constituents understand the tremendous strain you are under and how hard you are working to meet the expectations of your board of directors, mentors, peers, managers, employees, investors..blah...blah... blah, and all that seems to be at the heart of your people is how you treat them.  Don't insult their intelligence by creating excuses as to why you aren't present.

As you end your day and think you are leaving everything at the office; which will wait your arrival in the morning, your people are thinking over how you treat and value them; this begins with being visible.

Make it a discipline to be with your people regularly and witness the transformation.

Thoughts On Leadership (Series)

Time To Begin
Own It
Be Visible
Push For Improvement
Grab Opportunities
Persevere


Thoughts On Leadership: Own It

By: Santi Chacon
Business Coach
Denver, Colorado

Own It

To be effective you must think strategically. Commerce suggests being in the right place at the right time; which translates into: being everywhere all the time (this is a matter of strategy). Possessing a strategic focus will ensure that you are not taking opportunities for granted. Practice by planning, goal setting, and by constantly adjusting the plan as occasion calls for it.

Okay, So What Is Your Strategy?

If those individuals who were in charge of your pay check asked you to describe your strategy in painful detail, could you? Could you described what you have quantified and measured or would you provide generalities and assumptions?

Are You Ready?

It would be in your best interest to devote a portion of your life to planning your strategy for the next five to ten years. Planning insinuates writing and rewriting in painful detail your intention (how you will get from point 'A' to point 'B' effectively at the lowest possible cost) that includes matrices for measurement and time lines for feedback.

If It Doesn't Hurt, You Aren't Doing It Right!

Planning your strategy should not be easy, rather it is a mental and emotional exercise that you engage in that refines thinking, reveals challenges and solutions, as well as facilitates education and accountability.

What's Next?

After you have actually planned and lived your plan for a season begin to consider carefully how much of your attention you lend to the urgent needs of your projects, business, or people and how much of your time is dedicated to executing against a well thoughtout strategy.

  • Wouldn't it be fascinating to have the capacity to direct your key players in a fashion that produced consistent and measurable results?
  • Wouldn't you define effectiveness as your ability to use your talent (your people) in ways that would produce an increasing return on energy?
  • Have you written down your strategic direction for the next five to ten years?
  • Does your strategy live on a document for reference?
  • What are you doing to take ownership of your strategy for personal and organizational growth?

In Conclusion

Remember to focus on growth opportunities, partnerships, training and educating your people, and decide to always document your strategy regarding these matters. Documenting every important strategy will demonstrate that you actually care about those you lead.

Thoughts On Leadership (Series)

Time To Begin
Own It
Be Visible
Push For Improvement
Grab Opportunities
Persevere

Thoughts On Leadership: Time To Begin

By: Santi Chacon
Denver, Colorado
Business Coach

Transformation Leadership begins with transforming yourself. First things first, you need followers if you want to be a leader. The word ‘Leader’ denotes, someone is following, even if it’s just you.

The Basics

The following thoughts are in the form of questions to help steer you in the appropriate direction.

  • How big is your dream?
  • How are your listening skills with those around you?
  • Are you results oriented?
  • Are you action oriented?
  • How disciplined are you?
  • Do you invest in becoming better and more knowledgeable in those areas you desire to lead in?
  • How much time do you spend investing in personal or professional development?
  • What is your purpose as a leader?
  • What is the vision of your leadership?
  • Do you have a leader, mentor or coach to help you to lead?

When you grow your capacity to lead, you will find more opportunities to lead and when you find more opportunities to lead, you will grow your capacity to lead. The key to leadership is found in activity and in your ability to add value to each life that finds itself in your care even if only for a fleeting moment.

Thoughts On Leadership

Time To Begin
Own It
Be Visible
Push For Improvement
Grab Opportunities
Persevere

Success 101: Positive Mental Attitude

Santi Chacon
Denver, Colorado 
Business Coach

Another Restless Life

You were meant to fulfill a radical purpose but as it stand you can't even get a foot hold. You are losing time and wonder if you will ever see the light at the end of the tunnel. At the moment you find yourself in that restless place again wishing for the type of success you have only dreamed of. The pangs of frustration is what is felt as you consider your failures against the landscape of achievers. Your soul aches for a resolution, a breath of fresh air as you labor relentlessly during those endless nights. The questions that beckon accountability over and over again scream:

Why aren't you as successful?
When will your time come?

Time To Reexamine

You are only as effective to the degree that you understand and work with fundamentals. If you are not achieving the success you desire than you must first discover the fundamentals of achievers and next you must measure what you do against those fundamentals. In this series you will discover those fundamental and will be invited to consider your attitude or posture around the specific behavioral principle. Just remember after you begin to apply these precepts your success is only a matter of time, so hang on, and press through.

Back To The Fundamentals

Fundamentals are not anything you do; as some type of technique, although “Doing” is in the nature of an achiever. The nature of fundamentals is about “Being” or whom you become as a process of habit and character development. To receive the greatest benefit from this series: after you are introduced to the character or behavioral principles, think on paper of how you can apply it in your current environment.

As you begin to re-discover the fundamentals in this series do not fall in the trap of thinking: 'I already do that,' The goal is 100% saturation of each principle before moving on. Take your time with this stuff and witness the transformation of your business life.

Attitudinal Principle #2:

The study of quantum mechanics reveals the key element in possessing a positive mental attitude. The principle element states: 'As your perception of a thing changes, the very nature of that thing changes.'

Entrepreneurs should have an attitude that is unshakable. The acronym I like to refer to for this occasion is 'GIGO'; Garbage In Garbage Out. What you put into your mind will either move you away or toward your goal for success:
  • What do you read?
  • What do you listen to?
  • What do you watch?
  • Is what you surround yourself with positive?
  • How can you nurture more of a positive mindset?
  • Who do you need to distance yourself from?
You must look at difficult times with a sense of curiosity and ask 'what is life attempting to teach me at this moment?' while working to improve yourself. You will be transformed by the renewing of your mind. If you want a better business, than put new things in your brain. You must know without a shadow of a doubt that you are a winner and that success is around the corner. Understand that things happen for your purpose, and that life is conspiring to make you successful.

Success 101: Purpose (Revisited)

By: Santi Chacon
Denver, Colorado
Business Coach

Every executive’s purpose is like a finger print there are no two alike. Each person brings his gifts and talents to the world of commerce. As you rediscover and renew the purpose for your business you will begin to witness the unfolding of a new brand.
  • Purpose will always have a way of redefining your brand. 
  • Purpose will make your voice stand out with authenticity from the hundreds of thousands of businesses in similar industries. 
  • Purpose is branding! Purpose will give your voice personality and depth of character.
When thinking about your company's purpose engage others in the conversation including friends, employees, partners, customers, and investors.

Put It On Paper!

Allow your unique perspective and meaning to ring throughout your purpose statement. Don't settle for some mediocre concept like "Our Purpose is to Provide a Great Service", "Our Purpose is to be the Best...(WHATEVER)", or :Our Purpose is to provide Great Customer Service." - THIS IS MEDIOCRITY!

Go deeper into your soul and answer the question: what do you stand for? and What should your business stand for?

If you are wondering how to define such a broad concept, answer the following questions:
  • What are you passionate about?
  • What is your unique signature (talent)?
    • Is it the way you strategize?
    • Is it the way you communicate?
    • Is it your Unique vision?
  • What unique gifts and passions are you keeping outside of your business? (business should be personal)
  • How could you tie your unique passions and gifts into your business?
Purpose and passion bring a sense of play back into our lives. Our businesses should work as extensions of our lives.

Do Me A Favor:
  • Don't settle for a business, CREATE a movement!
  • Identify your purpose
  • Identify your unique passions and gifts
  • Rethink your business model
  • …and perhaps RETHINK how you have been living your LIFE!

Success 101: Purpose

By: Santi Chacon
Denver, Colorado
Business Coach

Are you ready for another attitude adjustment? I hope so, your success depends on it. The principles presented in this series are invaluable and will take you from rags to riches, if that is your goal. Taking these principles and applying them to your business is crucial to your peace of mind and financial well-being.

Attitudinal Principle #1:

Dr. Viktor Frankl discover the power of purpose as he forged his way through the concentration camps of world war II. After coming away from this experience, he spent the rest of his career assisting others in defining the cornerstone of human existence: life’s meaning. Dr. Frankl stated that if we have a big enough “why” we can accomplish any “what”. If we define our purpose (our “why”) we will not only endure hardships but grow from them.

Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose. - Helen Keller

It is our connection to purpose that refuel you with passion and replenish an otherwise tired soul. It is that connection to purpose that reveals opportunity in your ventures and paves the way to greater fulfillment. The more meaningful your purpose is, the greater hope you will have, and the greater the contribution you will make in the lives of others. Entrepreneurs are the artists of our time. As any artist, entrepreneurs are romanticists striving on the hope of a better future.

Purpose and Business

According to Bloomberg 80% of businesses fail in the first year. This 80% is not including how many fail within the first five years. These are 8 out of every 10 chief executive officer’s who pack up and leave the business game within one year of opening the doors. The high rate of failure is due to the lack of preparation. Although there are many ways a new chief executive officer can forsake to prepare for the battle of her life; one of the most consequential areas left unexamined is in the area of purpose.

Purpose and Contribution

An entrepreneur understands that her purpose is driven by the need to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Her purpose is not based on what she receives, but on the contribution she makes. The entrepreneur understands what she contributes entitles her to receiving.

Let's Get Pragmatic

Your writing assignment is to write down in detail the answers to the questions listed below inasmuch detail as you can. If for any reason you can't answer (ouch!) you have some details to consider.

What is the purpose of your life? (In exact detail)
What is the purpose of your work? (In exact detail)
What is the purpose of your business? (In exact detail)

Unless you have spent time thinking about this stuff recently, do not settle for the first thing that comes to mind or give into conventional thought. Ignore your psychological tendency to lean toward what you “think” or “feel”' people's impressions of you are Use this time as an excuse to do some self-discovery.
  • Write a first draft
  • Let the themes resonate in your consciousness as you consider the meaning of ‘purpose’ over the next several weeks
  • At this point take your rough draft and rewrite it, and rewrite it again
  • Even if you think you know what your purpose is recreate and rethink it!
  • Find a reason to be passionate and refreshed again as you put a new spin on old themes. Tie your purpose into whom you are, and to those things in life and in business that bring you the greatest joy, feelings of contribution, and satisfaction
  • Last review your purpose on a regular basis and adjust it over time as you gain clarity
  • Purpose and Branding

The Age Of The Geek

By Santi Chacon
Denver, Colorado 
Business Coach

By now I hope you know that geek is in!

Geeks use to be synonymous with recluse. This was the guy who lived in his basement and sat in front of his computer screen all day and night with little food, water, and god knows little to no human contact. He had little to no social skills and seemed very awkward in social settings; having a temporary case of turrets. This is the guy who we all looked at with a sense of embarrassment. Well, he is all grown up now, and cashing his multi-billion dollar checks. Yes! ladies and gentlemen he alone has dominated the business world, impacted existing industries, created new ones, and has literally changed the world as we know it. The world would be at a stand still with out the infamous geek standing by to lend his expertise.

The Power Of Imitation

Chances are if you are not striving to be the geek in your industry than you haven't kept up with the technologies of your industry, and you are running further and further behind. Eventually your technological illiteracy will bring your business down a fatal path.

The bottom-line is stop taking the technologies that surround you for granted, and create the habits behind adaptation. The world is filled with technologies that will take you further then you have ever imagined. Business is not made for the timid at heart, so create a plan to obtain the technical knowledge that will propel you toward your business objectives faster than ever before.

Where To Start:?

If you think you are doing okay in this area ask yourself:

What are the top three technological trends that are influencing your industry?
How often do you seek technical knowledge that will provide competitive advantages?
What technologies have you mastered in the last 12-24 months?

Start By:

Attempting to understand your own computer
Learning html, css, javascript, dreamweaver, flash
Master the use of social media (i.e. blogging, podcasting, social networking, vlogging, photo sharing etc...)
Subscribing to technology blogs, vloggs, and podcasts
Taking a new class
Working toward one more degree or certificate
Learning how to take advantage of google analytics
Learning a software programming language
Identifying software in your industry and mastering it
Understanding the ins and outs of technologies or technological platform you use on a regular basis such as ms word, excel, power point, access, sales force  etc...