becoming a better leader

You Should Admire Your Mentor’s Strategies

A buddy was complaining
bitterly
about her mentor.

I asked her
if there was anything
she admired
about her mentor.

She struggled
to come up with an answer,
finally saying
her mentor was successful.

I then asked her
if she would want to achieve success
using her mentor’s strategies.

She admitted
she thought her mentor’s strategies
were unethical.

We are heavily influenced
by our mentors.
That’s one of the reasons
we partner with them.

Ensure you admire
your mentor’s strategies.

Those strategies
are likely to become
yours.

Making Decisions Based On Best Information

I planted some frost-sensitive plants
in the garden this weekend.

According to the weather forecast,
there should be zero chances
of frost
over the next two weeks.

That forecast could be wrong, however.
It IS a forecast,
not an absolute.

But I had to make a decision
and it is the best information
I have at this time.

We all have to make decisions
for our businesses
based on the best information
we currently have.

That information could also
be wrong.
And we’ll have to
hastily make some corrections.

That’s part of building a business.

There are no absolutes.

Make the best decisions you can
based on the best information
you currently have.

And move forward.

You’re Not A Billionaire. Yet.

I’ve posted in the past about
how being approachable
benefits
our businesses.

People tell us
useful sh*t.

But, but,
you say,
‘X isn’t approachable
and he’s a billionaire.’

You’re not
a f*ckin’ billionaire.
Yet.
Billionaires play by their own rules
because they’re the people
creating the rules.

And yes, X is a total d*ck
but I suspect he has people
working for him
who are more approachable.

You and I are
building our businesses.
People are more likely
to be within arm’s reach
of us
than of X billionaire.

We should try
our d@mnedest not to be d@cks
to our customers.

People Rarely Change

One of my loved ones
creates drama and fights
wherever she goes.

She visited other loved ones
over the holidays.
There were fights and drama.

Some of those loved ones
were surprised.
The drama-creating loved one
was older.
They thought
she had changed.

People rarely
if ever change.

That employee
who isn’t concerned
about being on time?
They will
never be concerned
about being on time.
Plan around that.

That partner
who does everything
at the last minute?
They will continue
to do everything
at the last minute.
Plan around that also.

People rarely change.
Work with who they are
or don’t work with them
at all.

The Trend Is Our Friend

The trend might not always
be positive
but knowing that trend
IS our friend.

I see the downward trajectory
of my romance novel sales.
That is negative.
But knowing that trend
means I can prepare for the future.
It means I can wrap up
that business well.

As another example,
I see the downward trajectory
of rain and snow
in my area
and across the world.
That’s negative
for all of us.
But knowing that trend
means I can prepare for the future.
It means I can install solar power
to deal with
the decrease in
hydro-sourced electricity.

Knowing trends
will always benefit you.
Even or ESPECIALLY
if that trend is negative.

Preventing Emotional Decisions

A reader told me
I’d sell a lot more books
if I had my books
in X format.

I need an increase
in sales
if I want to keep
the romance novel business
alive.

And my first impulse
was to do what she advised.

I talked to a loved one.
He reminded me
of all the reasons
why I don’t offer X format.

I then quashed my impulse
to offer X format now.

We’re human.
We have emotions.
And sometimes our emotions
f*ck up our lives
by pushing us
into making terrible decisions.

Choose someone
to approach
when your emotions threaten
to take control.

Choose that person now.
When your emotions
AREN’T in control.

This person should be
the voice of reason.
They shouldn’t be easily swayed
by you and your convincing arguments.
They should have the ability
to repeat all your great reasons
back to you.

Designate someone
to approach
when your emotions threaten
to take over.

Be Approachable

The formatting on a buddy’s book
went terribly wrong.

One of the earliest readers
contacted her immediately.

My buddy corrected the problem
so quickly
most of her other readers
didn’t realize
there had been a problem.

Another writer told her
she was ‘lucky.’
That writer had the same problem
and she didn’t find out about it
until she had received a bunch
of 1 star reviews
and investigated.

Luck is always a factor
but it wasn’t purely luck.

My buddy is approachable.
Readers feel comfortable
coming to her
with issues.

The ‘unlucky’ writer
has a reputation
for yelling at readers.
Very few people
approach her
about anything.

Be approachable.
Or ensure SOMEONE high profile
is approachable
in your business.

That will help you
retain customers.

Don’t Insist People Work Sick

Okay.
I get it.
Due to COVID,
people’s immune systems are sh*t
and
that means they’re sick
much more often.

You are trying
to run a business.
You need employees.

So you’re considering
insisting
employees come into work
while they’re sick.

Don’t insist on that.
That’s cruel
and it is a lawsuit
waiting to happen.

If that employee dies
or suffers extreme harm
while working ill,
their families will
sue your a$$.

No one has the time
or the money
for that.

A better solution
is having extra staff
on call.

Train and ‘hire’ more people
than you need.

The constant illness
is our new normal.
Plan for it.

An Annual Task

Ensure
the ownerships
of your domain names
aren’t expiring soon.

Don’t count on
being notified.
I rarely receive
those messages.

I make a note on a calendar
to check the statuses
of my domain names
once a year.

I note the renewal dates
and, if those dates
fall within the year,
I renew those domain names.

Check the status
of your domain names.

Predatory companies
are waiting
to grab them.

Don’t allow them to expire.

Review The Year

Before we start
setting goals
for 2024,
we should take a day or two
and review 2023.

We should look at what worked
and
what didn’t work.

We should ask ourselves questions
like…

What added value to our business?
What was extra but nice to do/have?
What doesn’t add value in any way
and should be stopped?

Which partnerships are working well?
Which partnerships aren’t working ideally
but can be saved?
Which partnerships aren’t working at all
and should be severed?

Where did most of the income come from?
Can that income be increased?
Can our income be diversified
without decreasing that core income?

What mistakes were made?
How did we recover
from those mistakes?

What were the huge successes?
How can we duplicate
those successes?

Etc.

Take some time
and review 2023.
That will increase our odds
of success in 2024.