The strategic plan of the company is the groundwork designed for the base on which the trajectory the company must go, however it is the ability of the team in place to move the company in a forward direction towards the strategic goals. Without the alignment of the team the strategic goals might as well be like shooting darts at a dartboard blindfolded.

The best way to move forward is to have a blueprint for implementing the creative strengths of the team through the unpredictable times. Give them the tools to succeed without causing fear, uncertainty, and doubt. The agenda should and always will be the strategic plan, the goal of the company.

Keep it Simple.

What is our Mission Statement? What differentiates us from our competitors? Let鈥檚 start by focusing on why we are doing what we do and deliver value to our clients. In unpredictable times, doing the best job will put the company in a fantastic position to make the best strategic choices.

Predict the Outcome.

Unpredictable times can cause huge anxiety for business leaders and their teams. Looking towards what is likely to happen and knowing where the obstacles may be is one way to keep your strategic plan on track and your team moving it forward. When they know or at least can predict where there may be potential dangers, they can make strategic decisions on what needs to happen to mitigate any losses to keep working towards the future.

Priorities have Priorities.

Moving towards a huge strategic plan all at once can be a daunting task. Break it down into smaller pieces. Make one step at a time towards the goal. Always keep in mind the strategic plan, but what task do you need to do today to help propel the company forward? What tasks this week? This Month? Every priority will have a smaller priority attached to it. Something you can do in this moment to help you propel forward.

Navigate Emotions.

During unpredictable times, teams can become unsettled, and emotions can become heightened. It is important that as a leader you must keep your emotions steady in front of the team. Having as much knowledge as possible about changes in the company, with your clients and suppliers will mitigate the anxiety with any uncertainty within the ambiguous environment. Having answers and making sense in an unpredictable climate for your team will ease anxiety and create a culture of trust.

Open Communication.

During uncertain times is the most important to keep the lines of communication open. Share your own emotions around the uncertain times. Be honest yet steady. Keep fear and anxiety at a minimum and answer questions factually. If you need time for clarification let them know that you will get back to them and put a time and date to when. The team will see your confidence, willingness to be open and honest and respect you for it.聽 Clear and Decisive, take the guess work out.

Peer to Peer Learning.

If someone you know and admire came to you for advice, assistance or was going through a tough time and reached out to you for help, how would you feel? It would make you feel valued as a businessperson and as a peer. Sharing our experiences is part of our growth in business and in life.聽 We can all use our networks to gain insight into the obscurity of unsettling times when necessary. We as businesspeople sometimes forget that we are not alone. By asking 鈥淗ow did you manage through this situation? What was your experience? Do you mind sharing?鈥� we can gain a lot of wisdom in the experiences of others. We gain confidence knowing we are not alone.

Having an approach to unpredictable times that focuses on your vision for the company, keeping it simple with open honest communication and gaining wisdom through your networks, can set you apart from leaders who panic during the storm, and those who are steady and ready to ride the wave with confidence to the other side.

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Consumers now need to know instant gratification and by reading other鈥檚 reviews good or bad they can easily form an opinion based on facts relayed through the experiences of people they have never met; however, they may feel a connection too because they have a common interest- which is the product or service you are providing.聽聽

Another importance of having google reviews is ranking higher in local search results. It gives your business credibility and better exposure to your target market in your local area. The relevance and transparency of the reviews creates an opportunity for your business to instill trust in the consumer and reach a broader loyal following than your competition. It enables your small business to increase your online exposure in a more organic fashion without having to spend a lot of money.

There are a couple of key factors to the success of your Google review campaigns.聽

• Ask for a Review.

Getting your customer to do a review can be a daunting task. Be transparent and authentic. Just simply ask for one. Let them know you appreciate their business and how they support local. Tell your customer the importance of Google reviews -good or bad, and that you respect their feedback; it is how you make your business the best it can be to serve them better.聽

• Reply to the reviews quickly.

Your customer took the time to write a review. Whether it was positive or negative, they took the time. Show respect and take the time to respond appropriately. Not responding shows lack of attention to your business. Conversely, getting into a war of words with an upset consumer on the internet is not the best way to resolve conflict. A best option is to offer to meet with them or have a phone conversation. Everybody makes mistakes, it is how fast you react that sets you apart.

It is becoming increasingly more important to be diligent in the messages our customers are receiving regarding our products and services. With the value placed on information received from the internet misinformation can be extremely compelling and believable. Therefore, we must be transparent and authentic. Always ask for a review, never leave a review unanswered.

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We talk a lot about our priorities. What are our top 3, or top 5 priorities we need to accomplish today, this
week, this month, this quarter? Even our priorities have priorities. Some people struggle with what is a
priority. What priority should be #1?
The First and most important priority should be self-care. Not only is it the top priority it is the most
an important aspect of leadership.
If, as a leader, you are burnt out, tired, overwhelmed, you cannot perform at your very best. Your team
knows it, sees it, and cannot perform at their very best.
The following are 5 things I do to make self care the top #1 priority so that I can perform to the best of
my ability, not only for me but for my team.

1. Schedule it.
It starts with a schedule-investing in the time it takes to take care of yourself makes it a
priority! If it鈥檚 in the calendar it cannot be changed moved or deleted.

2. Develop a routine.
Everyone lives on their own schedule and enjoys different things, find what works for
you and stick to it. I enjoy morning workouts-it gets me motivated and my blood flowing
for the day ahead. So, every day I wake up at 5:30 am and work out for an hour, have a
steam shower and am ready to face the day rejuvenated.

3. Read.
a. Read anything, something. It can be a business book, a self-help book, a novel. Just
something to entertain your mind and get those neurons firing in the right way. Studies
have shown reading increases brain connectivity, helps fight depression and lowers
blood pressure. Read at least ten pages a day.

4. Gratitude.
a. Every Morning I read a passage from a Good Karma book and an Affirmation. It does not
matter where you get your inspiration-as long as you remember to have or show
gratitude in whichever way suits you.

5. Get out in Nature.
Whether you prefer to walk, run, or ride a bike, it鈥檚 important to get out for at least an
hour every day and detach from the computer, phone, TV and enjoy nature. It will help
reduce anxiety, quiet your brain, help you relax. Nature is an antidote for stress.
Being a good leader should start by being good to ourselves so that we may be great for others who
depend on us.

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There are three key factors to understand when merging or acquiring a new company to join your brand.聽

• Culture
• Brand Enhancement
• 顿颈惫别谤蝉颈迟测听

It’s important when thinking about acquiring a new company that the existing culture matches the culture they are blending into.

As early as possible in the acquisition process, to be successful, the Companies vision and values must be clearly defined and aligned. The leadership must commit to integrating the team into the culture by living the CORE values, expressing them clearly to all and keeping the lines of communication open and flowing freely.聽聽

聽Having an open-door policy for transparency and clear dialog is essential to a smooth transition when blending companies.聽

Diversification can be an asset and a liability. For example, in our business model we chose to focus on residential and light industrial 鈥渉ome鈥� service brands that compliment each other. We diversified our portfolio not only with like minded individuals, but with companies that complimented each other and can generate lead flow across all brands.聽

If we partnered with a company such as a shoe store it would diversify our portfolio but how much value would it add to our brand?聽 The company itself would flounder because the synergies just wouldn鈥檛 match, and the people involved would evidently feel unvalued and resentful.聽

聽It is important to play off each other鈥檚 strengths, not weaknesses and blend together in a way that makes everyone not feel threatened. It can be a delicate dance. Team members who have been with the brand a long time have become comfortable and developed strong identities within their roles. It can be difficult to introduce new members to the team and have a symbiotic relationship right from day one.聽

Diversity is something to be celebrated not feared. Having a strong CORE Value embedded within the team enables us to onboard a new brand and new people without the fear of others having to lose their positions. They want to help others become successful for the betterment of the brand.聽

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Where are the keys?聽

Processes tell people what to do every day. What happens if your key employee quits? Gets sick? Moves? Any number of unforeseen circumstances can and most likely will happen on any given day in any given week in any year during a business鈥檚 lifespan. It is na茂ve to trust one person with a task integral to the company鈥檚 day-to-day operation and not have a process written for that task. If that person is no longer available that task can not be performed and that can cause a ripple effect that impacts the entire operation of the company.

For example, Joe works at a Paint company. Joe knows where the spare keys are for the two vans the painting company owns. One of the vans is with the crew out of town working on a big project. Joe didn鈥檛 show up for his shift. Joe is not answering his phone. Joe has the key for the other van. The second crew cannot get to the job site with the tools because they do not know where the spare keys are 鈥� or even if there are spare keys.

If there was a process in place, Joe鈥檚 MIA would not be an issue. Everyone would know what to do in an emergency. The keys would be located the customer would have his project being painted and Joe would probably be receiving an ROE.

Processes ensure the operational tasks and activities performed by team members are performed correctly and the overall goals of the organization are achieved.

Each process is built to help facilitate a strategy that enables the company to advance with seasoned or new team members. Processes are the road maps of the operation of the company.

This is how you get to your destination.

-Bill Knight
Creator of Culture and Accountability

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The Importance of Learning

I believe in every organization it is important to always be learning at every level. We at 缅北禁地 take the opportunity in our Quarterly Themes to learn collectively. This way we are all focused on the same goals and can be not only accountable to ourselves but to each other. I have found this type of learning to be more efficient and appropriate than on an individual level, although we do provide that if it is required for a specific skill or situation.

While we learn collectively it is also important to recognize聽how聽individuals learn and that not everyone is able to learn the same way.

The right environment is essential to deep learning and can foster development within the individual which in turn helps the growth of the company. Set up the room so it is conducive for conversation, taking notes if necessary and even a video presentation. Make the environment comfortable, relaxing, and inviting, with plenty of space for movement if necessary. The ability to learn a new concept, skill or idea must begin with feeling open, safe, and secure.

The choice of the subject you want your team to learn is just as important as the environment and should be chosen by the management team.聽 One subject might work for one company but not another; it may not align with our core values or direction of our goals. It is important that the management decides what knowledge is pertinent to the group to achieve the goals set for the quarter.

When one person succeeds we all do.

鈥撀犅�Bill Knight, Creator of Culture & Accountability

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Take a look at the article below!

Summary.

When times are tough and you鈥檙e faced with hard decisions, it鈥檚 easy to get paralyzed by self-doubt and fear. To move to clarity and action, leaders need self-compassion. Research shows that it increases your levels of emotional intelligence, resilience, integrity, and makes you more compassionate toward others, all of which improves your effectiveness as a leader. The authors offer several exercises for cultivating this skill, from short daily practices to tactics that help you shift your mindset.

It鈥檚 understandable for leaders to get caught up in fear, doubt, and criticism when facing critical business decisions that will have a major impact on lives and livelihoods. But what鈥檚 needed in times of uncertainty and disruption is mental clarity, emotional balance, fortitude, and vision. To move from self-doubt and paralysis to clarity and action, you need an often-misunderstood skill: self-compassion. Based on our experience training tens of thousands of leaders on the role of self-compassion in emotional intelligence and effective leadership, we鈥檇 like to share some key tips and techniques for cultivating this critical skill.

First, it鈥檚 useful to accurately understand self-compassion. Put simply, it means taking a perspective toward yourself as you would with a friend or colleague who is facing a setback or challenge. It鈥檚 skill that is simple, but it鈥檚 surprisingly difficult for many of us. According to Kristen Neff, one of the leading researchers on the subject, there are three core elements to self-compassion: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. Many mistakenly avoid self-compassion, believing that it means being easy on yourself and will lead to being complacent. But self-compassion in fact is the foundation for resilience and helps you develop the courage to face hard facts. In taking a constructive 鈥� rather than critical or harsh 鈥� attitude toward your efforts as a leader, you build your capacity to navigate challenges and unpredictability.

Self-Compassion Makes You a Better Leader

The amount of research on self-compassion has grown significantly over the past fifteen years, and studies show that the benefits align with several important leadership skills.

Emotional Intelligence: Studies indicate that people who exercise self-compassion have higher levels of emotional intelligence, are better able to maintain calm when flustered, and tend to experience more happiness and optimism.

Resilience: Kristin Neff鈥檚 research and that of others shows that self-compassionate people have standards as high as people who lack self-compassion, but that those with high self-compassion are less likely to be unduly and unproductively hard on themselves if they didn鈥檛 meet their own standards. Self-compassion supports you as you navigate setbacks, regain clarity, and move forward productively.

Growth Mindset: Studies from Neff and colleagues indicate that highly self-compassionate people are more oriented toward personal growth. Rather than avoid challenges, they are more likely to formulate specific plans to reach their goals.

Integrity: Research shows a strong link between self-compassion and conscientiousness and accountability, suggesting that self-compassion enables leaders to act responsibly and morally, even when undertaking difficult decisions.

Compassion Toward Others: As the UC-Berkeley professor of psychology Serena Chen writes, 鈥淪elf-compassion and compassion for others are linked鈥� Being kind and nonjudgmental toward the self is good practice for treating others compassionately.鈥� Leaders who are able to model compassion for themselves and others build trust and psychological safety that leads to higher engagement and sustainable high performance in teams and organizations.

How to Build Your Capacity for Self-Compassion

Embracing the benefits of self-compassion is the first step. Then the question is how to foster it. Here is a set of core practices to get you started.

Practice in the Moment

The easiest place to start is with a five- to 20-second exercise that can be integrated into your day: when starting a meeting, as you sit down at your desk or kitchen table, or even while pausing between responding to emails.

To practice self-compassion during these moments, take three deep breaths and with each breath, think three subsequent thoughts, each connected to one of the core elements of self-compassion:

Mindfulness: 鈥淭his is hard right now鈥� or 鈥淚鈥檓 feeling tense.鈥� By being aware of, but not overwhelmed by, your own emotions you鈥檙e able to make decisions with more clarity and wisdom.
Common humanity: 鈥淚鈥檓 not alone; other leaders are facing similar challenges.鈥� Recognizing that you鈥檙e not alone supports your well-being and your sense of connection with others, helping you consider the people potentially impacted by your actions.
Self-kindness: 鈥淢ay I be kind to myself as I face this challenge鈥� or 鈥淲hat would be kind right now?鈥� Treating yourself well is essential for your own motivation and your capacity to help others.
This short practice can be done quickly and unobtrusively, without anyone else even knowing.

Rewire Your Brain

In addition to short, in-the-moment practices, we recommend building your capacity with slightly longer practices as well. Spending somewhere between five and 10 minutes each day meditating on self-compassion will make a big difference. As we know from research on neuroplasticity, what we think and pay attention to changes the structures and functions of our brain to make these habits easier. By dedicating time regularly to build the capacity for self-compassion, we鈥檙e training the brain to incline towards self-kindness, making it an easier and more habitual response when things are tough.

You can make a guided meditation part of your morning routine or integrate it into a lunch break or the end of your work day. If you notice there are moments throughout the day when you鈥檙e beating yourself up, you can try a shorter meditation as well .

Shift Your Mindset

You can shift your mindset about a setback or challenge and orient it toward self-compassion through writing. Students in a comparison study who actively exercised self-compassion through writing exercises reported a greater motivation to change, a greater desire to address weaknesses, and exhibited higher effort to improve overall. These results were significantly better compared to both a standard control group and a group that did a similar writing exercise focused on self-esteem (rather than self-compassion).

Try out this writing exercise to similarly shift your mindset. Draft an encouraging letter to yourself from your inner compassionate voice, answering the following questions: What would your inner mentor say about the challenges you鈥檙e facing? What might they suggest and how would they encourage you? What would you tell a friend who is struggling with a similar situation?

We recommend that you start writing and keep your pen (or typing fingers) moving for about four to five minutes. Once you鈥檝e written out your letter, take a moment to read over it and notice if you feel a greater sense of openness toward your challenges. You might also revisit it a few days or weeks in the future, and can even set up an email with delayed send to bring your encouraging words back when you might need them in the future.

As we face a world that鈥檚 more uncertain than ever, we need leaders who look for common humanity with their employees, customers, and stakeholders. We need leaders who connect and uplift others, and this starts by exercising kindness towards yourself.

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