Are You Distracted?

DistractionsYou are at a cross street and there is another car in front of you. The intersection is a four way stop sign intersection. You see the car approaching from the left and the driver is clearly looking down at their phone. The car coming from the left continues on through the intersection without even slowing down. Each of the cars at the other stop signs are each shaking their heads in disbelief. The driver of the car which went through the stop sign never looked up from their phone. Do you see this taking place often where you live and where you drive? The term we hear to describe this behavior is distracted driving.

My question to you is, are you conducting your business as a distracted business owner? An easy way to test if you are is to ask a few simple questions of yourself. Are you focused on one or two specific areas of expertise or products to market? This focus means you are spending your time selling and marketing directly. You are not yourself creating web sites, logos, looking up trademark rules and regulations, running personal errands throughout the day. You are clearly focused on the one or two specific items.

Do you know the value of one hour of your time? Do you delegate or hire in people to conduct the work you are not of the expertise to handle or to conduct the work which you should not conduct? Based upon your answers to these questions it should be clearly obvious to you or anyone else if you are a distracted business owner.

It is critical to have a clear and unobstructed focus on your business direction. There should be written down goals and objectives for your business for the year. These are then placed into goals to achieve each month, each week, each day to support the objective for the year. You and your team should hold yourselves accountable by checking in often to see if you are on track or off track. If you are off track, understand why and establish what must be done to get back on track. If you work alone you must have a business coach or a trusted advisor working with you to at the very least hold you accountable.

In the driving example it was obvious and very clear to the other drivers that the distracted driver was distracted. Did the distracted driver ever recognize they were distracted? The same example holds for your business. People around you are able to see you are a distracted business owner. The problem is you do not recognize that you are a distracted business owner. Take action steps now and pay attention. Find a business coach to work with. Get focused today.

Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.

State Of The Union Should Remind Us To Check The State Of Our Business

President ObamaThis week in the world of government, politics and the media – the State of The Union delivered by President Obama is a big deal. The current environment dictates the strategy for the State of the Union to be filled with words of hope, promises and lots of selling. Selling the dreams, wants and needs of the audience-the big huge audience. Typically the State of the Union lacks substance, lacks details, and lacks the ‘how’ we do all these things type of facts.

It is a great reminder how critical it is for any business owner or entrepreneur to check the state of their business. This would be an in depth look at how you are doing? Are you heading toward your big goals and strategies? Are you getting off track on your projects or are you staying right on your timeline?

How are the funds? Are you being paid by your clients/customers in a timely manner? Do you have the amount of financing in place to carry out the plans you have for the year? All of these questions require you to take a reality check. There is no hiding. It is all substance. It is all about the details.

This process must take place at least one time a month. Do not skip around an area. Look deep and look hard.  Then adjust your course as necessary. This is why you conduct this activity. There are often slight adjustments which need to be taken. Remember the route to the goal is often not an exact straight line. Part of the way toward business success is creating these course corrections as you go along.

Do you find you require the assistance of an expert business strategy consultant to bring you through this process and create accountability to keep you on track?  Contact Mitch Tublin at www.thementorguy.com and book your initial session today.