IRS = ROI

Today I want to write you guys just a few sentences on team building.  HOW do we keep our team motivated?  Recognition is a HUGE piece of that puzzle.  In fact, even when team members hear us praise someone ELSE on the team, it’s a proven fact that they’re all inspired to try harder.  So this week, keep in mind the two IRS factors:

1. Initiative – Responsibility – Speed. When you have a team member who takes the initiative to always move you and your business forward in creative, effective ways, and they take responsibility for projects and new endeavors, and on top of it all, they understand the URGENCY of SPEED and always being focused on the end game, THAT is a team member to work with as closely as you can and to praise publicly.

2. And remember when praising to use the other IRS: Identify – Recognize – Seize the Opportunity!

Identify specifically what they did for you / your company.

Recognize their efforts with some sort of reward – your words are great, but a tangible thank you rocks the house, even if it’s just a wonderful meal with you to celebrate.

Seize the opportunity! Great team members don’t come along every day.  Find out what inspires this person about working with you and your business and put them in charge of it!  If it’s sales, give them a great product to launch, if it’s marketing, ask them for a new look at your old list or marketing plan.

You get the picture.  Whatever you do with your team, just don’t do NOTHING.  Remember, your biggest competitor is INERTIA.

Next Wednesday, I’m going to hold an incredibly focused Q&A call with some mind-blowing training around how to build a 7-figure business and create huge ROI on everything you do for your company.  I’ll send you all an event invite – it’s not a free event, but it is affordable – and a GREAT investment to get my personal coaching on your toughest questions.

I’ll send you the details by the end of Tuesday, and I want each and every one of you to know that YOUR success matters.  It matters to me, to the people you will touch in your life, an it matters to our NATION.  That is not a joke.  So take your next steps seriously and practice IRS on yourself!  Have initiative, 100% responsibility, and speed in all you do.

Until next week’s call,

Christine Comaford, Executive Coach

CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc. and Business Accelerator

http://www.BusinessAccelerationIntensive.com

Hi everyone – as an Executive Coach in the Fortune 100 for many years, I know that we’ve all had time when we hit a creative roadblock or had a solution in search of a problem. When I want to develop ideas for a product or service for one of my executive coaching clients, or help them to plan a particular goal, I create a mind map. A mind map is a great way to prime your idea pump. Here’s how to make one:

1. Get a poster-sized piece of paper or a whiteboard and draw a circle the size of a Peppermint Pattie in the middle. Write what you want to achieve with your product/service in the middle, for example, “launch widget product.” This is your primary goal.

2. Draw spokes around your primary goal circle, and attach a circle to each spoke. Label these circles with activities that will help you achieve your primary goal, for instance, “create marketing plan,” “build sales pipeline,” “manage fulfillment.”

3. For each activity, again draw spokes from the circle and attach additional circles to the spokes, labeling them with activities/ideas that would support them. For example, for “fill sales pipeline,” you might have circles that say “generate sales leads,” “qualify sales leads,” “hire sales administrator,” “create sales funnel and lead aging system,” and many more. For “create marketing plan,” you might have circles that say “build press list,” “develop activity timeline,” “identify influencers,” and, of course, many more.

4. Keep drawing spokes and circles until you’ve run out of ideas for each activity. Then highlight the most important ones and start executing them. You’ll get to them all in time.

Train yourself to both look at the big picture and remember to ALWAYS pay attention to the pain of the marketplace so that you can move fast to reduce it. You never know what it’ll lead to: sometimes a new company, sometimes a new connection, sometimes a chance to make the world a little better.

For a great free mind mapping software see http://www.mindjet.com.

Remember that we ALL have blocks – from the top CEOs to the newest entrepreneurs. If you ARE ready 100% ready to bust through yours, then having the right coach is key. I will MAKE room in my BAI program for you, IF you are serious. (I’ve added new dates all over the country if the West Coast isn’t your thing!) Teaching my Mighty Formula for Executive Evolution is my personal passion to turn this economy around, one success story at a time.

Christine Comaford, Executive Coach
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author http://businessaccelerationintensive.com

PS: Business Acceleration and an experienced Coach are always the key.
http://businessaccelerationintensive.com

Executive Coach and Business Accelerator, Christine Comaford shares more on her “Evolve as an Entrepreneur” series. As a top Executive Coach and the CEO of Mighty Ventures, Christine has coached thousands of business builders to higher revenue, bigger sales, and better business plans and financing pitches. As the New York Times Best Selling Author of Rules for Renegades she has inspired entrepreneurs around the globe.

How you respond and how you interact with people speaks volumes about you and them. The handshake is my favorite method of non-verbal information gathering. I’ve met amazing mentors, started businesses, and made new friends simply by striking up a conversation.

Not sure about how to start? Offer a compliment. There’s always something attractive or admirable to notice about a stranger. Be sincere about it. Put your hand out, introduce yourself and shake with the I’m Sincerely Pleased to Meet You shake. With a solid grip and meaningful eye contact – don’t forget a personal comment.

What does your handshake say? If you are in a continual rush and you normally present the obligatory up-down jerk shake while avoiding eye contact – your manner will say Isn’t There Someone More Interesting Here? or I’d Rather Be Someplace Else. Does your handshake convey sincerity or rote, robotic disinterest? Is it insecure, limp or non-inviting?

How often do you pay attention when you interact with people? Think about how you present yourself, which is something that anyone at any level can work on. Setting up a monthly lunch with colleagues from other companies in your field, making a plan to meet someone who can teach you things all add to building relationships with people on your own level in your field.

Remember, we’re all equal. Just because someone is powerful, rich or famous doesn’t mean they are better than you. Practice equalizing yourself with others – remembering this will enable you to more comfortably interact with others.

So this week, try the Sincere shake on three people you haven’t spoken with before. Take the risk and speak from the heart – palm-up networking will win them over every time!

Christine Comaford, Executive Coach

CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author http://businessaccelerationintensive.com

PS:  Want to work with the BIG players?
Business Acceleration and an experienced Coach are always the key.
http://businessaccelerationintensive.com

Executive Coach and Business Accelerator, Christine Comaford shares the first of her 3-Step “Evolve as an Entrepreneur” series. As a top Executive Mentor and the CEO of Mighty Ventures, Christine has coached thousands of business builders to higher revenue, bigger sales, and better business plans and financing pitches. As the New York Times Best Selling Author of Rules for Renegades she has inspired entrepreneurs around the globe.  http://BusinessAccelerationIntensive.com

Last week, you learned how to reveal yourself.  Here’s the next step in your Executive Evolution:

Stand for yourself.

You have all the answers within yourself.

How great is that? Now you just have to do the work to find the answers. They don’t come easy, but once you crack the code, you’re golden. You’ll likely need the help of others to find these answers.

For example, I am not you.  It is quite likely that you exist within a framework that does not allow you to have what you want. I do not. Inside my framework, what you want is totally possible. So, it’s unlikely for you to hang out with me without change – without getting what you want – because I don’t “buy in” to your limiting framework, I won’t believe (or co-sign) your B.S… and soon you won’t either. Hear me on this one:  Find someone who cares enough to call you on your “stuff.” Your Limiting Lies.

This is why searching for the latest/greatest strategy, technique, tool, trend will fail you every time… grabbing desperately for any lifeline or distraction won’t work either. At best, these will provide only temporary relief. Because you are focusing out instead of in. When you focus out, you aren’t standing for yourself. You’re asking for the answers outside, and you will NOT find them there.

This is where a coach comes in. They guide you to do the work to find out who you are and what you want. Just make sure the coach you choose has the chops and the successful exec’s and businesses behind them to prove it.

Standing for yourself requires the decoding of the relationship you have to create success in your area of challenge – PLUS figuring out what you’re truly more committed to – succeeding or not succeeding. You’re going to get infinitely curious about the stories you tell yourself and if they benefit you. Along the way, of course, you’ll make sure your business strategies and tactics are sound and workable – we ARE business people, after all.

At this point we’re talking about aligning all the parts of you that are in conflict with what you want for yourself and your company and your life. But I’ll cover more on that 3^rd step (align) next time. For right now, I want you to focus on Step 2 – Stand for Yourself. And begin to surround yourself with a coach and a team that facilitates this and inspires you.

It’s profound. Be SURE you’re ready.  If you ARE ready, then having a coach who can help you figure out what you stand for – and what you don’t – is key.  I will MAKE room in my BAI program for you this July, IF you are serious.  (And I’ve added new dates all over the country if the West Coast isn’t your thing!)  Teaching my Mighty Formula for Executive Evolution is MY “stand” for Christine.

Christine Comaford, Executive Coach
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author http://businessaccelerationintensive.com

PS: Business Acceleration and an experienced Coach are always the key. http://businessaccelerationintensive.com

The Big Reveal

Yesterday, I offered you guys a radical change to how you lead your teams and your business.  Today, I want to share more on how to IMPLEMENT my Mighty Formula for Executive Evolution. I’ll keep it super simple.  Three steps.

Step 1. Reveal yourself. (Steps 2 and 3 coming soon! So stay tuned.)

First, take some time and determine your Press Release. We all have a “press release” that we energetically and behaviorally “distribute” – whether we realize it or not. Here’s one of mine (yes, I am still working on it): I AM REALLY BUSY. DON’T BUG ME. I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR YOU. This is a masterful way to keep people at a distance, to stay separate from others, to not reveal myself.

A common Press Release I often hear is “Everything is great! Couldn’t be better! I have my act totally together!” When in reality, the executive’s revenue is tanking, their passion for their business or life is gone, their marriage is failing, or they can’t sit still because they can’t stop their constant frantic thoughts (and can’t tolerate silence). Their stimulation level must be kept on HIGH at all times.

So what’s your Press Release? What message does it tell others about you? How does it prevent you from revealing yourself and your humanity to others? How sustainable is it? Next, determine the Limiting Lie you tell yourself. This may be embedded in your Press Release. Here’s a personal example. At 7 years old I was told that I was not enough and never would be. That is, of course, a lie, and I hoped this was the case, even then. But it didn’t prevent me from 40 years of overachieving, just to make sure positive 100% that I was, indeed, enough.

Take some time and find your Limiting Lie. (Don’t roll your eyes, this is NOT some personal development rah rah speech – this is the REAL stuff of REAL leaders.)  Once you know your Limiting Lie, and how you’re likely reinforcing it with your Press Release, you can diffuse it – and even joke about it. I use a simple mantra to release mine: I am enough. I do enough. I have enough.

Every activity, word, thought, and interaction is an opportunity to reveal yourself. It’s either bringing you closer to who you are or farther away… if you can’t find your REAL Press Release and your REAL limiting lies, you just may be stuck with them (and imprisoned by them) forever.  This is OFTEN where a real coach comes in.  They can spot our roadblocks and help us to reveal what and why they are there.

If you’re in the business of BIG success – and taking the risks to get there, then finding a coach who can spot those roadblocks and knows the ropes is vital. I still have room in my BAI program for a few more participants this July.  (And I’ve added new dates all over the country.)

Christine Comaford, Executive Coach
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author http://businessaccelerationintensive.com

One of the most important things we can know, in today’s information-driven world, is that our intellect is NOT in charge – no matter how much knowledge we pump into it. The Hoffman Institute has shown through recent brain research that 90% of our responses are emotional. Ninety percent!  Add to that the fact that our emotions respond 400x faster than our brain, and you’ve got a recipe for success – or disaster – when it comes to human contact.

If you can make a practice of revealing yourself to the people in your life, then you can create a  deep connection with clients, team members, and valued colleagues – one that results in true intimacy, true leadership, emotional equity, meaning and fulfillment, and you never have to think about motivating people again. Why?  Because connection = trust. Being trusted and feeling connected is a core motivator.

And remember, building a highly successful organization while staying connected and true to ourselves, as human beings, is always the end game.  Without that, everything else will feel stark and empty. I have worked with some of the most successful people in the world, and believe me, success without knowing oneself, and without connection to oneself and the people in one’s life is MEANINGLESS – and, incidentally, UNSUSTAINABLE.

So why DON’T people experience themselves as true and real in their business and life?  Quite simply, they haven’t revealed themselves. They’ve stayed conveniently hidden rather than stand naked in the light of day.  Yes, revealing yourself is scary – but I’ll say it again – it’s the core of real success in life and business.

Your drive, your ambition – much of which comes from feeling that you are “not enough” as you are – can only take you so far. If you’re not careful, your drive can become destructive, depressing, and disillusioning. And even though it’s no longer working for you, you still cling to it – because you think it defines you, you think that ambition IS you. I know, because I’ve been there. I’ve been to burnout and back by serving my ambition instead of my soul.

It’s easy to make the mistake of protecting your drive above all else, even when your heart and gut know it’s no longer serving you. At some point you have to stop and wonder: When did you choose to stop revealing yourself? When did you stop looking inside? Was it an isolated incident when life smacked you down? Or when you were elevated high and thought showing your humanity might result in others taking advantage of you, or not taking you seriously?

It’s great if you can identify when and why you stopped being open enough to those around you, but either way you simply have to do it now – no matter how safe you feel being all locked up.  Taking a risk and making it a practice to reveal yourself to the people in your life is the only way you will truly get what you want. So how do you do this?

You decide to evolve as an executive.

You decide to buck the “hide who you are” trend that humanity has celebrated for centuries. You make a conscious choice. Look, evolution doesn’t happen overnight, but it is beneficial. In the case of evolving and revealing, practice does make perfect.  Practice my Mighty Formula for Executive Evolution. The ingredients to this formula? Reveal. Stand. Align.

Christine Comaford, Executive Coach
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author

PS: Business Acceleration and a rockin’ coach are always the key. http://mightyventures.com/bai/

Gang, know one thing as you move into the 2^nd half of 2010:  Life is about bringing people together and seeing what happens. Just because someone is powerful, rich, or famous doesn’t mean they are better than you – we are all equal.

Don’t think in terms of connecting with people to get what you want; think about how you can help them. Look for people to develop relationships with. How can you be a connector? Where is there an information gap that you can plug?

Try to get to know the person you’re talking to. Ask them about their business, their ideal customer, or their goals. Ask what they do for fun and find out what they care about. Seek out these stories and you’ll gain valuable insights and maybe even lessons. Don’t be afraid to talk to people – simply strike up a conversation. Offer a compliment – be sincere about it. As you meet people, relationships will follow. Find mentors, advisors, and friends to share goals with.

By networking, you will be empowered to find the people who can help you achieve a specific goal. The reason to network is so that you can put yourself out there to meet those people. In the end, it’s those relationships that matter – they will make the journey worthwhile.

As you network, you will better understand how aspects of the world work, which will result in your ability to effect change, and ultimately your realization that you really can do anything. Consider joining a Networking Group (like Rotary and Kiwanis Club) they are great places to learn the basics of networking, to meet new friends, to help foster other people’s career dreams.

When people ask you for favors, do them if you can. Do them if you have the resources, the time or the ability. The key here is that you’re giving to give, not to get. Know that you’ll get favors in return; just don’t stress out if they don’t come from people you’ve helped…trust that the good will come back to you.

Life = the people you meet + the experiences you create together

Networking is marketing, marketing your uniqueness, marketing what you want to stand for. The result is you’ll be well positioned to give and receive potentially great things as you build YOUR personal success story and rockin’ future.

If you’re REALLY serious about building rockin’ connections and a rockin’ success story, join me at BAI – http://mightyventures.com/BAI.  You get to work with me and a small group of amazing CEOs in person and design a 90-day plan to MOVE your needle.  

 Christine Comaford, Executive Mentor
CEO of Mighty Ventures, Inc.
NY Times Best Selling Author

PS:  Business Acceleration and a rockin’ mentor are key. http://mightyventures.com/bai/

What are YOU obsessing about today?  …production hassles?  marketing problems?  hiring and firing?  the big sales meeting you have to prepare for?

Not to mention the myriad other things that have to get done on a daily basis or the business just won’t survive (like invoicing & accounts receivable, accounts *payable* (yuck), team meetings, the endless flood of emails and phone messages… )

All of this magnifies, growing larger and larger, like a disease.  It’s called “Founder Burnout” — and sadly you’re not alone.

Just about every CEO, entrepreneur, and business owner I know has had this experience at least once. I’ve even had it myself.

What you need to create BUSINESS ACCELERATION is to clear the clutter, drop all of your baggage and get free of it all for a few days and figure out what’s *REALLY* important in your business.

If only there was a place where small groups of entrepreneurs get together to brainstorm, offer support & camaraderie while they identify REAL opportunities, connections and solutions to challenges …all with one single-minded purpose:

To deliver you from the depths of sleepless hell by *accelerating* your business forward in the most critical areas. Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it?  Well, this “Entrepreneurial Utopia” actually does exist. (I should know, I designed it!)  And it’s closer than you might think. http://www.BusinessAccelerationIntensive.com

Coming soon to San Francisco, New York, Toronto and Vancouver!

Will YOU be there?  Will YOU create those opportunities, connections and solutions to challenges???

Christine Comaford, The Executive Mentor
Founder & CEO: Mighty Ventures LLC
Author: New York Times Bestseller
Rules for Renegades
http://www.BusinessAccelerationIntensive.com