plus a 12-step annual goal-setting process.
by rob nixon
i’ve said that you should design your business by your rules and the way you want it to be. you’re taking all the risk so you should have all the spoils.
more on strategy: how to calculate a value price | why old pricing models are unethical | 8 ways to improve firm profits | 17 killer questions for prospects | growing your client database | niche markets are your best buyers | is your business by design or default?
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
many partners of accounting firms get the concept and they agree with the theory. what i find is that they often lack the personal development to pull it off.
i have been fortunate to have been involved in the personal development space since 1987 – two years after i left school at age 16. i have attended hundreds of seminars, read hundreds more books, listened to hundreds of hours of audio, viewed hundreds of hours of video and devoured countless manuals, websites, articles and papers on a quest to become a better me.
i have always believed that if you want to run a better business then you must become a better business person. i also believe that the development of the business will never outpace the development of its leader.
so i am going to focus on 12 critical traits on you becoming a better you. they are 12 traits that when implemented fully will serve you well on your quest to become the best business leader you can be.
here’s how this works. i will explain the critical area and you are to score between 0 and 10 how you are on each of the critical areas. the scoring guide is below.
on each trait on my “spider wheel” put a mark where you fit. in the middle is 0 and the outer point is 10.
we’ll start with the first four key traits. do not score on the spider wheel until you have read the trait. of course, the more honest you are with yourself the more success you’ll have.
your core purpose
why do you do what you do every day? what is your reason for being on this earth for this very short amount of time? some people call this your “why” and others your core purpose or your mission in life.
i found my core purpose in 2006 in bali, indonesia. i was attending an entrepreneurs conference and i was asked to sit down with one of the speakers and do an exercise. we’d just finished playing golf and he (thomas) ordered from the barman 20 pieces of paper and one beer each. thomas said at the end of it i would have my core purpose and i would cry like a baby. for the next three hours thomas asked me question after question about me and at the end, two words popped out:
“influencing lives”
not changing lives but influencing lives. this is what i am all about. i like to influence. i like to make a difference. i can’t change someone’s life but i can influence it. i like to write, speak and develop products and services that influence. i like to get the feedback on how people have used my ideas and concepts. i love case studies and success stories.
one of my core values in business is to influence lives. we align business decisions to our values. as a business we want to make sure that we are influencing lives every day.
thomas was right. i did cry like a baby when i discovered my core purpose in life. what’s yours?
if you know your core purpose and you live by it then score yourself a 10. if not, score what you feel is right for you.
your goals and values
there have been countless studies done on the fact that if you write down your goals then you have a good chance of achieving them. most people plan their holidays better than they plan their lives. there is a lot of talk about goal setting but very little on the process of achieving the goals. so i thought i would give you in detail my goal achievement process.
let me just start by saying that i have been setting and achieving goals for over 30 years. my first major goal achieved was to be the under 15 australian archery champion. i achieved the gold medal in 1984. then i had a goal to be the under 18 australian archery champion. i achieved that one in 1987. it was the same year i got into personal and business development material.
over the years i have fine-tuned my goal setting and goal achievement into a process that works for me. here it is…
- i handwrite everything into a very special annual journal. i buy it from the uk luxury stationer, smythson of bond street, london. i have the journal customized with my name and the current year.
- at the back of the journal i have all my life goals listed – currently 171 of them. i update this every year before the start of the new year.
- in the journal i also have my personal values, my overarching purpose in life, my constant energy and focus state, what’s important to me and a list of my beliefs – all handwritten.
- throughout the year i will collect as many pictures as i can (from magazines) of my life goals and put them onto my vision board. i will also have a visual management process so i can see how i am doing in achieving these goals.
- i write at the front of my journal a list of goals for this year. there are typically 20 listed for each year – however five are the most important. the top five are highlighted. most of the goals for the year are from my full list – either moving toward achieving them or completing them.
- once all goals are listed i reflect back on the last year and work out why i did not achieve all of my stated goals. something has to be done differently. i write down what i am going to start doing differently, stop doing and continue doing. each one covers a page in the journal.
- for goals that take time to achieve i block out time in my diary for the entire year for each one. i block out family day trips, board meetings (monthly), accountability meetings (monthly), management meetings (weekly), seminars to attend (typically 12 -16 days per year), known seminars to deliver, gym sessions (3 per week), bike riding (2-3 per week), blog writing (2-3 per week), date nights (monthly), dinner parties we will host, holidays (8-10 weeks), golf lessons (many), golf practice (not enough), golf playing (1-2 per week – not enough), me weeks, camping trips, school holidays, etc. everything is blocked out and then i work with what is left. it’s amazing how much time is actually left for random stuff or extra work if needed when the year is blocked out. i have a view that if it’s not in the diary it won’t get done.
- i write down action plans for each of the goals on my annual list. so fun, business, personal, health, family, relationship, etc. bullet point action plans for the ones that need it.
- i only divulge my goal list to people who are going to help me get them. it’s private. so that includes my wife, my accountability group and some goals for my management team and employees.
- i keep myself accountable to my goals each month by my accountability forum.
- i review and read my goals every week.
- while achieving my goals i live by all of my core values especially finishing what i start and doing what i say i am going to do.
to make all this happen i still sleep 7-8 hours per night and i wake up at 4:45 a.m. six days per week. i want to milk everything out of this life and be the best i can be. i love living up to my core purpose and having great stories to tell of my experiences. as i said this works for me – it may even work for you.
my personal values are interwoven into my goals. i want to make sure that i am living my short life in line with my values, while checking off my goals in life.
if you have your goals written down and you have a process for achieving them then score yourself a 10 on the spider wheel. if you have no written goals (typed or handwritten) then that’s a 0 score for you!
courage and being bold
i find the fear of failure stops a lot of people. there is an acronym for fear: false evidence appearing real.
it does take courage to do something different. the lack of courage causes the dreaded p word – procrastination. as the late zig ziglar used to say with considerable gusto. “procrastination is the assassination of motivation.”
i always look at the issue/challenge/target or whatever it is as “what’s the worst that can happen?” if it’s only losing a bit of money as the worst that can happen then i’ll typically give the go-ahead. if the data stacks up and we believe in our abilities then we do it. sometimes we win; often we fail. but at least we had a go.
the challenge the accounting profession has is it is too comfortable. the business of accounting is changing, however it’s still a comfortable business to be in. here’s my view of what being comfortable does to a business…
comfort breeds apathy.
apathy breeds procrastination.
procrastination breeds lack of innovation.
lack of innovation breads stagnation.
stagnation breeds death!
to succeed in business i think the leadership needs a healthy discontent with the present.
i have had the privilege of meeting one of this world’s great entrepreneurs, sir richard branson, a few times. he is known for his business acumen and his “just do it” attitude to life. however, as i discovered on a number of occasions, he does not jump into projects or businesses without research, data and careful consideration. he told me once that they always protect the downside when they start a business or get involved in one. as he described to me, “if the planes go down the trains can’t.” he has the courage to try different things and push the boundaries but he does it with a calculated view.
how are your courage levels? if they are outstanding give yourself a 10. if not then mark a score that reflects your current courage and boldness for trying new things.
thirst for learning
how curious are you? how many questions do you ask? how many non-technical books/webinars/audio/video sessions do you attend? how often do you read your national financial newspaper? how many business visits do you go on to learn how you can do it better?
these are questions that indicate your ongoing thirst for learning. i meet a lot of accountants who only do the required 40 hours of cpe/d per year. typically these events are technical-related, which is great if you want to be a better accountant. what about being a better person? what about being a better business person? what about being a better communicator/leader/mentor/marketer?
i think there is too much time spent on technical learning rather than what might be called soft skills. it’s the soft skills that define us. it’s the soft skills that will propel us forward.
i am fortunate to associate with many high-profile entrepreneurs and leaders. the thing they all have in common is their thirst for learning. they tend to have a systematic learning program of reading, viewing and attending.
one characteristic i find bizarre is how accountants do not ask that many questions. i often wonder if asking a question is seen as a weakness with accountants.
i think the opposite. i think asking questions is a sign of curiosity, interest and intelligence. i know some people are naturally shy and reserved. maybe that’s the problem – not enough confidence and low self-esteem.
what is going to be your annual learning plan?
- number of books to read
- number of courses to attend – locally and internationally
- new skills to learn
- businesses to visit
maybe you need to hire a mentor or a coach. whatever you decide, make sure you are learning something new.
if you’re not learning, you’re not growing. if you’re not growing, don’t expect your business to grow beyond the development of you.
if you are outstanding at this give yourself a 10 on the rating scale. if not maybe there is something in this trait you can work on.