A productive and fair-but-firm way to get people to deliver results is to let them know that any failures to follow-through will be exposed at regular management review meetings. The prospect of being held accountable for your actions is enough, for most people, to make them think twice and face up to their demons, to do the tough things needed to make a real difference in their performance. This is precisely the reason that so many businesses have turned to business coaching during the recession.
The billionaire businessman John Caldwell once called the boards of PLC companies "w*nkers in grey suits" because they would blame the economic downturn for failing to hit their targets.
His argument went something along these lines -- they had set the targets themselves and seemed to be in a land of make-believe in terms of making it happen, happily sitting back and hoping for the best. His opinion is that when you make your own bed, you need to do whatever it takes to be comfortable lying in itThey were, in essence, behaving as victims of the situation, rather than changing their strategy to make sure they got their targets no matter what.
It"s a terrific quote and one you should ask yourself in the mirror occasionally, you should ask it of yourself when you"re feeling that the world is against you. Are you at risk of being "a w*nker in a grey suit", ducking the responsibility of facing up to the harsh reality that you need to change the way you work?
At a recent business lunch, a town mayor responded to frustrated local businessmen complaining about 3 weeks of road closures that were not co-ordinated with them. They lost thousands of pounds. The mayor blamed another council - playing politics while local businesses suffered. He reacted angrily to suggestions they should fix the issue for next time. What right does he have to be angry, when put on the spot by the people he has failed, the same people who pay taxes that pay for his office?
So bringing this back to you, personally. Did you make plans to do something differently this year, to try out some ideas that just might make business work better for you, rather than just putting up with the recession blues?
Have you been true to your word? Perhaps you have given up, have pulled your head inside your shell like a tortoise under attack, hoping that you can survive the onslaught and quietly reappear when times are better! Who holds your feet to the fire, to make you live up to the promises you made for yourself?
At the very least, even if you don't reach out for help from business coaching, for your own sake take action on this. Write down one thing each week that you"re going to try different for your business. Then go public about it - tell your team, your husband or wife that you"re going to do it. Tell them that you"ll buy them lunch if you have not done it by the end of the week. Then stick to your promise - do it, or face the consequences.
What's the worst that can happen - buying your partner or team lunch? And the best thing is, your business just might do something to improve results!
Author Resource:-
Lee Duncan provides business coaching to companies throughout the UK for growth and business improvement. For more information about business coach Cambridge, take a look at Lee's blog and website.
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