Valuable Insights for Business Alliances

In today’s fast-paced, tech-driven business world, collaboration is no longer a dirty word. Forming alliances & collaborating with another business–especially if you’re the smaller fish–can be great. Leveraging another company’s audience and gaining access to their resources and knowledge might just be what you need to grow. But how do you know if the opportunity will be worth spending time & resources?

Oftentimes, when you try to implement some of the mentioned elements, you may run into challenges. To resolve this very issue, I wrote my book "The Breakthrough Accelerator - Resolve your Biggest Challenge in 4 weeks"- Receive a Free download of this book by Clicking this Link 

Just ask yourself these important & decisive questions to know for sure:

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS’S CORE CHALLENGE?

The best collaborations are those that help you to overcome your core challenge. But how can you do this if you aren’t clear about what that challenge is? Perhaps you are looking to break into a new market and a partnership can help you reduce barriers to entry or give you proprietary insight into that new market. Entering into a partnership without knowing what problem you’re trying to solve, or what result you’re hoping to achieve, is not going to be as successful as if you enter into a partnership with a clearly defined set of goals.

WHAT ARE YOUR BRAND’S VALUES?

Before you seek out a partnership, have a clear understanding of what your brand is about and what you’re looking for. Being clear about your values allows you to align yourself with a business that shares similar goals. Don’t assume that you know what the other company’s values are. Take the time to articulate your common vision and make sure that you’re on the same page.

DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO INVEST IN THIS COLLABORATION?

Getting involved with another business can feel a lot like having multiple hands in the same pot. It can result in high management costs, slow certain processes, and, in some cases, the loss of strategic power if the business you partner with wants to have decision-making power. A successful collaboration starts with having a good strategy.  If you have a bad strategy, you’ll find it easier to succumb to the pressures of day-do-day operational firefighting and distractions. Be clear on your goals and how much time you are willing to invest.

IS THERE A PERFECT PARTNER IN YOUR OWN INDUSTRY?

Sometimes the perfect alliance exists right next door. For example, say a French restaurant has a connecting swinging door next to a pub and every time the door opens, it would allow in the boisterous cheer of the next-door pub. The door was opening because the kitchen of the French restaurant would be supplying the pub with its burgers and the fish & chips.

Though the restaurant and the pub could be considered competitors (since both are in the food industry), they each offered different experiences and target audiences, making for a perfect and convenient collaborative opportunity.

It is very important to remember that before jumping into a contract for collaboration, see if you can test the waters by working on a small event or project together. A test project will allow you to evaluate each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and working styles before getting into a more serious commitment.

Here's to Happy Alliances!

Be Ideal Lifelong Learners

History’s greatest men were lifelong learners — many of them devoted quality time to self-education. Albert Einstein, Theodore Roosevelt, Richard Feynman, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo Galilei, and Isaac Newton committed a lot of time to personal learning either in addition to traditional education or as a substitute to formal schooling.

The most successful people in history were dedicated to self-learning. They recognize the need to grow and deepen their understanding of themselves and interesting subjects. We would be wise to follow in their footsteps.

Theodore Roosevelt was rumored to read a book a day. Learning for him was a path to professional success. He wrote his first book at 23. 

Lifelong learning is the “ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated” pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. It’s about learning to know, learning to do, and learning to be. Cultivating the mind is essential for personal growth.

Our whole life is an Education — we are ‘ever-learning,’ every moment of time, everywhere, under all circumstances something is being added to the stock of our previous attainments. Self-learning is a habit many of us can emulate to thrive in an ever-changing world of work. With all the disruptions in the modern economy, ongoing skill acquisition is critical to professional relevance.  

Oftentimes, when you try to implement some of the mentioned elements, you may run into challenges. To resolve this very issue, I wrote my book "The Breakthrough Accelerator - Resolve your Biggest Challenge in 4 weeks"- Receive a Free download of this book by Clicking this Link 

More than ever, learning is for life if you want to stay relevant in the world of work. If you are aiming to become a lifelong learner, some of these habits can be useful for you.

Habit 1 – Successful learners prioritize self-learning 

Are your skills, knowledge, and experience more valuable today than they were a year ago? We can all become obsolete over time. The fast pace of change today also means we can become obsolete faster than ever before.

Committing to self-learning can help you do your current job better and remain adaptable even when things change in the future. Scheduling continuous or lifelong learning can help you stay relevant. Make lifelong learning a priority in your life to consistently improve your skills, knowledge, and experience.

Habit 2 – Effective learners are voracious readers 

The most successful people we know today don’t stop learning. They read a lot — they continually expand their knowledge despite what they already know or have achieved. Elon Musk grew up reading two books a day, according to his brother. Bill Gates reads 50 books per year. Mark Zuckerberg reads at least one book every two weeks.

 

Warren Buffett spends five to six hours per day reading five newspapers and 500 pages of corporate reports. Buffett has invested 80% of his time in reading and thinking throughout his career. Nike founder Phil Knight so reveres his library that in it you have to take off your shoes and bow.

 

Why do the world’s smartest and busiest people find time for self-learning while others make excuses about how busy they are?

 

The answer is simple: Learning is the single best investment of our time. Or as Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

Habit 3 – Efficient learners maintain to-learn lists 

We experience many learning opportunities every day but we can’t commit to them when we are busy getting other equally important things done. We often have to let them pass at the moment because of other tasks. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get back to them later. 

To make the process of learning easier, create a to-learn list, and write down a list of concepts, thoughts, ideas, mental models, and topics you want to explore.

Or better still save them to your favorite bookmarking app. You can use Pocket to save every new idea you come across online — it’s a rewarding experience.

You can later explore them in your downtime or at the specific time you have planned for your learning and make the most of your downtime. Learning is the best when one is relaxed. We all have times when it just feels like the right time to learn something new. Use those times to learn things you bookmark.

Skilled Time Management

Time is our most precious resource. And whether you’re a high-powered executive or just starting your career as an intern, it doesn’t discriminate: We all have 24 hours in a day!

But, when the temperatures get warmer and the A/C is blasting in the office, those 24 hours all of a sudden seem even shorter. Even as a dedicated professional, you might find yourself longingly looking at the clock while trying to power through your tasks as fast as possible so you can head out and dive into the non-working half of your life.

 

The good thing is that depending on how you manage your resources, you can manipulate time and get the most of your working hours — and enjoy life outside of work to the fullest as well. Oftentimes, when you try to implement some of the mentioned elements, you may run into challenges. 

To resolve this very issue, I wrote my book "The Breakthrough Accelerator - Resolve your Biggest Challenge in 4 weeks"- Get your Free download of my book by Clicking this Link

 

So, before you dive in and enthusiastically adopt a new workflow, it’s important to embrace a couple of important mindset shifts.

 

First and foremost, you need to switch your thinking from time spent to results achieved. The most effective time-management tactics are about improving efficiencies and maximizing the impact of every minute spent — not all tasks and activities are even and every working hour is precious.

 

Keeping results at the forefront of your mind will help you get the most of any productivity method. Set the 80/20 rule which  states that 80 percent of results tend to be caused by 20 percent of efforts. Think of your most important project and its most crucial deliverables and outcomes. Are you spending most of your time on activities that move the needle towards the successful completion of that project? Or do you regularly get caught up in things like attending meetings with unclear agendas or answering emails?

 

Next, you must be willing to be real with yourself when it comes to the way you currently spend your time. Are you stuck in a spiral of over-commitment because you’re afraid of saying no? Do you tend to procrastinate or are you a multitasking addict? Assessing the present with honesty and humility is the first step towards building a schedule that allows for more freedom. 

Try time-blocking which is about dividing your calendar into blocks allocated to specific sets of activities. If you’ve got a lot on your plate, you can fight off that feeling of overwhelm by planning in advance how you want to split up your various activities throughout the week.

So, as long as you regularly check in with yourself and your productivity levels and are willing to focus on working smarter instead of harder, time management should be a piece of cake to enjoy (watch those calories!). 

Awesome Steps to Engaged and Invested Employees

Today more than ever, organizations rely on the energy, commitment and engagement of their workforce in order to survive and thrive in the twenty-first century. Only 15% of employees worldwide are engaged in their jobs – meaning that they are emotionally invested in committing their time, talent and energy in adding value to their team and advancing the organization’s initiatives.

Employee disengagement costs the United States upwards of $550 billion a year in lost productivity. So, one could see why this is both a serious problem that most leaders and managers face with today’s workforce and also an amazing opportunity for companies that learn to master the art of engagement.

Oftentimes, when you try to implement some of the mentioned elements, you may run into challenges. To resolve this very issue, I wrote my book "The Breakthrough Accelerator - Resolve your Biggest Challenge in 4 weeks"- Receive a Free download of this book by Clicking this Link

It is a common understanding of a vast majority of leaders that the employees are a company’s most important asset. But in reality, that is only true when the majority of the workforce is fully engaged in their work. If not, they are either adding minimal value or actively working against the organization.

The current business environment, and the world in general, is moving faster than it ever has before. 

Organizations across the globe are faced with more change than most can handle — in order to compete and dominate their segment they are required to grow faster often giving them less time to focus on managing all of their financial goals. They are forced to grow quickly with fewer resource - to do more with less. Leaders have to learn to excel in managing themselves, their teams and meeting organizational goals simultaneously.

The Leader’s Role in Engagement

Leaders improve engagement by defining and communicating a powerful vision for the organization. They hire and develop managers that are emotionally invested in the organization’s mission and vision and give them the resources to build great teams with the right people in the right roles. They empower.

Decisive steps to take for improving employee engagement & hone strategic action-takers in one’s organization: 

Put everyone in the right role - Get the right people on the bus and make sure they are in the right roles. All talent acquisition and retention strategies have to be aligned with meeting company goals

Give Them the Training - No manager or leader can expect to build a culture of trust and accountability —and much less improve engagement — without setting the team up for success. Proper training removes future obstacles

Task Meaningful Work - Engaged employees are doing meaningful work and have a clear understanding of how they contribute to the company’s mission, purpose and strategic objectives. If you don’t sort those details out quickly, they will leave. Again, this is why they first have to be placed in the right role.

Check in Often - The days of simply relying on mid-year reviews for providing feedback are long gone. Today’s workforce craves regular feedback — which of course leads to faster course correction and reduces waste

Again, these principles are not complex, but must be prioritized. Companies that get this right will drive greater financial returns, surpass their competitors and easily climb to the top of “the best places to work” lists

 

Great Ways to Enhance Productivity

Prepare before getting started

Productivity does not just happen “in the moment.”

It happens long before you even sit down and get to work. The more you prepare ahead of time, and get clear on exactly what it is you want, need, or should do, the easier and faster you will move once you start.

The reason why so many people struggle with “being productive” is because they skip this step, and when they sit down, they expect to start flying even though they haven’t even decided where it is they want to fly to.

Turn off all distractions

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that every time your phone buzzes, your e-mail pops up on your screen, your office door opens, your train of thought is ruined. We like to believe we can both participate in a group chat via text and write our best-selling book, but the truth is, we can’t — and to think we can is wishful and naïve.

 

Your best work comes in silence. It’s why people retreat and take vacations away from the bus(i)yness of life — to distance themselves from distraction.

Oftentimes, when you try to implement some of the mentioned elements, you may run into challenges. To resolve this very issue, I wrote my book "The Breakthrough Accelerator - Resolve your Biggest Challenge in 4 weeks"- Receive a Free download of this book by Clicking this Link

 

Create a Routine

It is said the best musicians, athletes, innovators, etc., follow a daily routine that trains their subconscious to know when it is time to work and when it is time to relax. There is absolutely something to be said for always practicing at the same time, or always going to the gym at the same time, or always writing at the same time, every day. 

You train yourself to know, as soon as that hour strikes, to fall into that mode of focus required to do your best work.

 

Share your work – for Feedback

Maybe you are one of those professionals that never want to share or talk about anything being worked upon. You may think it was “bad luck” or would take you out of your flow. And I’ll admit, there are those moments when your ideas are best left to ruminate in your own head, but you should not be hesitant to share what you’re working on. Feedback is extremely important, and a lot of time can be saved by a single conversation where someone points out, very clearly, something that isn’t “working.”

It might not be easy to hear in the moment, but you will be thankful for it later.

 

Take Breaks

Again, being “productive” does not necessarily mean sitting still for eight straight hours. You might be able to swing that for a day or two, but you are not a robot. You will burn out. Productivity is all about flow. It’s about knowing your limits and being conscious of how to move within your own constraints.

Maybe you need to take 10-minute breaks after every 50 minutes of focus. 

Great. Do that.

Or maybe you can work for four hours no problem, but then you need to take the afternoon before diving into another four-hour work session at night.

Great. Do that.

Do what works for you, and you only. This isn’t about being productive based on someone else’s habits or way of doing things. This is about knowing yourself, and using your habits to your advantage.

The New Face of Business in Covid

If anything, maybe you too are getting tired of hearing the term ‘new normal.’ While many people took the pandemic day-by-day for a while, waiting for life as we knew it to circle back, the reality is we’re kind of starting from scratch. As many offices come up with contingency and re-opening plans, professionals re-imagine job applying and interviewing via Zoom, and everyone adjusts to life through a COVID lens, it’s vital to accept that many aspects of conducting business may be impacted for the foreseeable future. Take, for instance, the handshake. Considering it’s not recommended to go within six feet of another human, greeting someone this way isn’t safe either.

So how will we network? What should be the business greeting for now? How can companies attract new business during this pandemic? There are some old and new truths that need to be embraced during this ‘new normal’ (that term again!).

Bowing and nodding could be the new handshake – Try using symbolic gestures or mindfulness practices to replace the old handshake. One idea could be bowing, nodding or hand movements that are commonly used in yoga. If you’re familiar with conducting business in Asia, you know that bowing is already considered a way to illustrate respect, so carrying this custom to the west is an easy way to cross borders. Another option may be placing your hand over your heart as a way to say ‘Hello’ when meeting a colleague from afar. While these shifts may feel strange to those accustomed to more traditional business environments, we have already seen how quickly social customs can change under challenging circumstances.

Oftentimes, when you try to implement some of the mentioned strategies, you may run into challenges. To resolve this very issue, I wrote my book "The Breakthrough Accelerator - Resolve your Biggest Challenge in 4 weeks"- Receive your Free download of my book by Clicking this Link

Video conferencing and networking on the rise - Before 2020, video conferencing wasn’t widely used across all industries. But, this year has made this skill that much more imperative. Even once we are able to congregate in person again, video is here to stay. Part of this is due to the versatility that it offers: connecting with your current employees in a personal way, screening possible candidates for opportunities without putting them at risk, or in the future, without requiring them to commute in, and so on. Pre-pandemic, did you frequently have lunch dates with friends? Or check-ins with mentors over a glass of wine or a cup of coffee? Those small touchpoints may not have seemed significant, but they challenged you to remain relevant within your field, and they still matter now but adapting those to not-in-person connections.

Having an online presence will become truly vital - Your LinkedIn and online portfolio are in significant need of an update if you intend to land a job during this unpredictable time. Maintaining a substantial online presence will be important as people look for ways to validate who you are. For business professionals and Entrepreneurs, one should think of a few professional contacts who share similar interests and challenges and would be willing to show up regularly and set up a monthly catch-up with that group to share ideas and best practices for current times and network smartly.

A Precious Resource called Time

Time is our most precious resource. And whether you’re a high-powered executive or just starting your career as an intern, it doesn’t discriminate: We all have 24 hours in a day!

But, when the temperatures get warmer and the A/C is blasting in the office, those 24 hours all of a sudden seem even shorter. Even as a dedicated professional, you might find yourself longingly looking at the clock while trying to power through your tasks as fast as possible so you can head out and dive into the non-working half of your life.

 

The good thing is that depending on how you manage your resources, you can manipulate time and get the most of your working hours — and enjoy life outside of work to the fullest as well. Oftentimes, when you try to implement some of the mentioned elements, you may run into challenges.

 

To resolve this very issue, I wrote my book "The Breakthrough Accelerator - Resolve your Biggest Challenge in 4 weeks"- Get your Free download of my book by Clicking this Link

 

So, before you dive in and enthusiastically adopt a new workflow, it’s important to embrace a couple of important mindset shifts.

 

First and foremost, you need to switch your thinking from time spent to results achieved. The most effective time-management tactics are about improving efficiencies and maximizing the impact of every minute spent — not all tasks and activities are even and every working hour is precious.

 

Keeping results at the forefront of your mind will help you get the most of any productivity method. Set the 80/20 rule which states that 80 percent of goals achieved are the result of 20 percent of efforts. Think of your most important project and its most crucial deliverables and outcomes. Are you spending most of your time on activities that move the needle towards the successful completion of that project? Or do you regularly get caught up in things like attending meetings with unclear agendas or answering emails?

 

Next, you must be willing to be real with yourself when it comes to the way you currently spend your time. Are you stuck in a spiral of over-commitment because you’re afraid of saying no? Do you tend to procrastinate or are you a multitasking addict? 

Assessing the present with honesty and humility is the first step towards building a schedule that allows for more freedom. Try time-blocking which is about dividing your calendar into blocks allocated to specific sets of activities. 

If you’ve got a lot on your plate, you can fight off that feeling of overwhelm by planning in advance how you want to split up your various activities throughout the week.

 

As long as you regularly check in with yourself and your productivity levels and are willing to focus on working smarter instead of harder, time management should be a piece of cake to enjoy (watch the calories though!).