Yesterday’s article, Take Action to Overcome Fear apparently hit home across various segments of entrepreneurs and business owners. From founders to restaurant operators, from solopreneurs to independent store owners I received quite a few requests for examples of the questions and possible scenarios they should be addressing as part of their development of an action plan. I’m very pleased to see that yesterday’s message opened a few eyes and minds.

So, what is it that you fear right now for your business as well as the challenges and issues that you may be anticipating in the near future? List them all.

Listing fears for your business, the various things that could possibly raise their ugly heads in challenging times, are all essential components to your action plan. In fact, they represent the reason for the plan and as such, make up the foundation from which your plan should be built.

Fears expressed by many to me in recent conversations are real (and challenging). Almost all have expressed fear of failure, fear of losing everything, and fear of losing the respect of others. I believe we can all agree similar fears have been on the minds of business owners and entrepreneurs at one time or another. Whether admitted or not, I believe that to be true.

Okay, so it’s a given – all are afraid for the future, the outcome, the aftermath when the dust settles. Key right now is to address the gap from today to those potential points. Some questions to ask now should be about potential scenarios in the business itself, the things that would adversely affect the customer experience, employee experience, company culture, and ultimately, revenue & profits and business stability:

• What would you do if you lost a senior member or two of your team? What if it were immediate?
• At what point would you address sharp increases for goods & products? And, how? What about for frequent increases of the same items?
• How would you handle an influx of negative customer reviews? What would you do if the reviews pointed back to a key member of your team, knowing that staffing has been problematic?
• What would you do if a key product or two to your business were immediately unavailable? How about if unavailable for the foreseeable future?
• How would you handle unexpectedly losing a business partner for an extended period of time? What would need to be done if that partner were you?
• What would you do if a major piece of equipment were to break down? How about if the equipment is unrepairable and requires replacement? What if the part or replacement item were unavailable?

I’m sure these scenarios will spur additional ones in your mind. If you think the above are extreme scenarios that’ll just be addressed at the time of occurrence, think again. I’ve heard about these exact situations from business owners. Fortunately, no more than two situations were occurring at the same time but in all instances, they hadn’t really been considered before, at least to the extent of preparing for them. Most business owners expressed being caught off-guard and flat-footed.

Scenarios such as the ones listed above are further compounded (and complicated) by challenging times. As such, quick responses are not only necessary, but potentially vital to the future of the business. Thinking them through and defining potential action steps will help to act swiftly and decisively with much less interference with day-to-day business as might otherwise be the case. Certainly, it’ll help the business owner focus on the details necessary to survive challenging times.

One More Thing

Are you making decisions proactively based upon a plan, or reactively, which is often off the cuff or from the hip? Essentially, are you playing to win, or playing not lose?

After all, just playing defense (reactive) doesn’t win games as the best that can be hoped for is a tie-game. The worst-case scenario is a ball trickling through resulting in defeat. The only way to win is to play a solid game of both defense AND offense (proactive) according to a solid game plan, one that addresses all scenarios and possibilities!

Action Plan

Revisiting yesterday’s article, next steps should be addressed with the following points in mind:

Prioritize which scenarios you believe would be most urgent to address. Outline various action steps that could be taken to thwart the problem. Define various things that could be done to minimize each potential challenge or issue according to your list. Detail counts!

Be proactive in all areas of your business by asking yourself hard questions. Do so by thinking about ‘what if’ scenarios. Being proactive will make decision-making much easier and the right decisions more likely. Be sure to think of both simple and extreme situations as with a comprehensive proactive plan in place, the element of surprise will have been eliminated. This will make the transition from problem to solution much easier and less stressful than otherwise.

Assistance & Resources

The future may be a bit bumpy for some, more so for others. Knowing who to turn to and when to turn to for guidance and help is important. Having resources at your disposal is also important. So, if you hit a wall, for whatever reason, please feel free to reach out to me for assistance or even if you just need someone to talk to. Please do not hesitate. You can reach me via a LinkedIn message, by email to Paul@Acceler8Success.com, and by phone or text at (832) 797-9851. Learn more about Acceler8Success Group at Acceler8Success.com.

If you’re interested in having the Preparing for War: You vs. Recession series presented to your organization, either as a webinar, workshop or conference break-out session, please click HERE for more information. The program can be tailored to your business model, product, service offering and industry segment. It has been resonating quite well with franchise and restaurant brands. The series also works well as the structure for one-on-one coaching for business owners, founders, senior executives, and entrepreneurs – all according to well-defined goals. Complimentary initial consultation!

Have a great day. Make it happen. Make it count!

According to Wikipedia, Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear in human beings may occur in response to a certain stimulus occurring in the present, or in anticipation or expectation of a future threat perceived as a risk to oneself. The fear response arises from the perception of danger leading to confrontation with or escape from/avoiding the threat (also known as the fight-or-flight response), which in extreme cases of fear (horror and terror) can be a freeze response or paralysis.

Further, fear is closely related to the emotion anxiety, which occurs as the result of threats that are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable. The fear response serves survival by engendering appropriate behavioral responses, so it has been preserved throughout evolution. Sociological and organizational research also suggests that individuals’ fears are not solely dependent on their nature but are also shaped by their social relations and culture, which guide their understanding of when and how much fear to feel.

Note the highlighted and linked words above – mostly synonyms and other related emotions and emotional conditions. Do the definitions of Fear, along with the highlighted and linked words apply to your mindset as you faced challenges and uncertainty?

However, fear is sometimes incorrectly considered the opposite of courage. Because courage is a willingness to face adversity, fear is an example of a condition that makes the exercise of courage possible.

Yes, Recession. Yes, Fear!

Over the past two weeks we had addressed surviving a downturn in the economy, and yes, in a recession. Whether just on the horizon or already in it, the effects of a recession are quite real. Strategizing and implementing action plans are all fine and good and of course, absolutely necessary but can only be effectively accomplished by recognizing and addressing fears. Yes, fear as we are in scary times!

It’s tough enough working through a period of economic challenges than compounding the difficulties with fear. The after effect could be debilitating with potential catastrophic results. The fallout from the same would be widespread. As such, the likelihood of indecision, poor decisions, and procrastination is very high, significantly compounding problems even more.

“There’s nothing to fear but fear itself” is a very true statement. Unfortunately, that may be easy to comprehend but it’s certainly not easy to act upon. Fear often causes action to be taken reactively as opposed to acting in a proactive manner. Reacting based upon fear can start a domino-effect that is difficult to stop.

Negative momentum builds and can quickly spiral out of control. So, it’s imperative to realize fears, act decisively and move forward without allowing fear to cause paralysis in decision-making and in taking action. Play to win as opposed to playing not lose!

Action Plan

So, what is it that you fear right now for your business as well as the challenges and issues that you may be anticipating in the near future? List them all.

Prioritize which ones you believe would be most urgent to address. Outline various action steps that could be taken to thwart the problem. Define various things that could be done to minimize each potential challenge or issue according to your list. Detail counts!

Be proactive in all areas of your business by asking yourself hard questions. Do so by thinking about ‘what if’ scenarios. Being proactive will make decision-making much easier and the right decisions more likely. Be sure to think of both simple and extreme situations as with a comprehensive proactive plan in place, the element of surprise will have been eliminated. This will make the transition from problem to solution much easier and less stressful than otherwise.

Assistance & Resources

The future may be a bit bumpy for some, more so for others. Knowing who to turn to and when to turn to for guidance and help is important. Having resources at your disposal is also important. So, if you hit a wall, for whatever reason, please feel free to reach out to me for assistance or even if you just need someone to talk to. Please do not hesitate. You can reach me via a LinkedIn message, by email to Paul@Acceler8Success.com, and by phone or text at (832) 797-9851. Learn more about Acceler8Success Group at Acceler8Success.com.

If you’re interested in having the Preparing for War: You vs. Recession series presented to your organization, either as a webinar, workshop or conference break-out session, please click HERE for more information. The program can be tailored to your business model, product, service offering and industry segment. It has been resonating quite well with franchise and restaurant brands. The series also works well as the structure for one-on-one coaching for business owners, founders, senior executives, and entrepreneurs – all according to well-defined goals. Complimentary initial consultation!

Have a great day. Make it happen. Make it count!

Just like an experience at your local café, I’ve planned for Acceler8Success Cafe to be conveniently located when and where you desire or need to relax, enjoy a cup of coffee, and catch up on some time for you. My goal is for Acceler8Success Cafe to be your virtual café, a place where you may frequently visit to enjoy a few minutes of leisure time to read, think and reflect about ways to improve and succeed in today’s crazy business world.

I strive for your experience to be memorable by providing learning opportunities, by presenting different perspective & insight, by spurring thought & reflection, by encouraging interaction, and by spotlighting topics that, quite frankly, may not be as front and center as they should or need to be.

Acceler8Success Cafe is open for business seven days a week. For the benefit of current & aspiring entrepreneurs, this daily newsletter is delivered each morning. As a way to jumpstart the week ahead, a weekly review is delivered each Sunday morning listing and linking to the articles you might have missed during the previous week. My objective is to provide an opportunity for you to begin your day and the week ahead informed and with ideas that possibly could accelerate your success.

So, before we jump into this week’s review, how about starting today with a smile? A positive thought? Your happy place? A tug at the child in you? And what better way than doing so than with Snoopy as Joe Cool on these hot summer days. Of course, let’s not forget Woodstock as we could all use a close friend.

Recapping the Series: “Preparing for War: You vs. Recession”

We started the week with the next-to-last segment of the series, Preparing for War: You vs. Recession. Over the previous week and a half, we had worked through the various things that entrepreneurs and small business owners can and should do to combat economic uncertainty and ultimately, the war against recession. There is no doubt, recession is on its way, if not already here lurking around every corner and already affecting us all.

Read the article for Monday, July 18th HERE.

Recession Prep Question: How will your mental health hold up during challenging times?

Tuesday saw us discussing the final segment of the Preparing for War: You vs. Recession series. Our focus was on YOU. That means, YOU the entrepreneur, the founder, the business owner, the leader, the CEO or whomever is charged with business performance and ultimately, the business succeeding according to defined goals. Especially in challenging times, how do we ensure that YOU perform at the highest level possible without stressing out and /or burning out?

‘Why’ is a question that is always asked by those left behind or hurt by suicides – the answer or answers would never make sense to someone who loves life. As such, I look forward to thoughts on this with hope the discussion continues. Thank you!

If you feel you have no one to talk to, contact me. I’m happy to help. You can reach out to me on LinkedIn, by email to paul@acceler8success.com, or feel free to call or text me at (832) 797-9851. I will respond as quickly as humanly possible!

Read the article for Tuesday, July 19th HERE.

“That’s one small step for man. One giant leap for mankind.”

Wednesday was the 53rd Anniversary of one of America’s greatest achievements. The photos shared were from the actual New York Daily News newspaper that I’ve kept secure since that majestic day. I love taking it out every year to read the articles, to look at all the unbelievable pictures, to remember the feeling of pride that was seemingly evident everywhere. And, without fail my own tears of pride run down my face – tears of American Pride!

Read the article for Wednesday, July 20th HERE.

Prayer to Combat Challenging Times: Let Us Pray!

On Thursday we discussed prayer as part of the strategy to face and survive challenging times. After all, prayer is an essential part of every world religion, including Christianity. Most people realize it has something to do with talking to God. Many hope that it might bring much needed assistance or comfort when facing difficult circumstances.

Prayer offers new meaning, purpose, hope, and a sense of guidance or control. These perceptions may help instill a fighting spirit, which has been reported to be an important factor in healing. Prayer can enrich the quality of one’s life and also bring a feeling of peace. It made sense to include prayer in our efforts.

Read the article for Thursday, July 21st HERE.

Technology in Business: Invest and implement. Rinse and repeat. Again, and again until…?

Reflecting upon the recently completed series, I realized that I hadn’t touched upon technology and how it must be included in our goals to ensure we achieve those goals. Meaning… understanding what will be involved, doing the necessary prep work, and learning about and investing in technology that will help us achieve those goals.

As the world accelerates at break-neck speed towards “everything digital” it is vitally important and absolutely essential we stay on top of technology. This cannot be stressed enough! It is reality and is paramount to any type of business success. The key is not to look at this from a negative perspective. Instead, embrace it for what it is, and for what it can do to help grow your business.

Read the article for Friday, July 22nd HERE.

Productive Saturday Mornings

We wrapped up the week appropriately discussing how to be productive on the weekend while maintaining work / life balance. As I do every Saturday morning, I review some 300+ digital publications, blogs, newsletters & videos to which I subscribe. Most have been received in my email throughout the prior week. Upon receipt, I quickly skim and bookmark articles and information I find to be of interest and thus, worth reading with the understanding of learning, as opposed to a quick glance.

I am very focused on maintaining work / life balance, but I firmly believe there are things that can/should be done during some down time that could prove beneficial as the daily grind continues. They key is to maintain balance. With that in mind, I have found my Saturday mornings to be quite productive and worth my attention. A grind of a different kind but with similar productivity goals around success.

Read the article for Saturday, July 23rd HERE.

Coming Soon

I’m excited to announce that the Preparing for War: You vs. Recession series will be released as a white paper. Stay tuned for more details.

Help is just a message, phone call, email or text away!

The future may be a bit bumpy for some, more so for others. Knowing who to turn to and when to turn to for guidance and help is important. Having resources at your disposal is also important. So, if you hit a wall, for whatever reason, please feel free to reach out to me for assistance or even if you just need someone to talk to. Please do not hesitate. You can reach me right here on LinkedIn, by email to Paul@Acceler8Success.com, and by phone or text at (832) 797-9851. Learn more about Acceler8Success Group at Acceler8Success.com and also at Entrepreneurship411.com.

Bring the series to your organization

If you’re interested in having this series presented to your organization, either as a webinar, workshop or conference break-out session, please click HERE for more information. The program can be tailored to your business model, product, service offering and industry segment. It has been resonating quite well with franchise and restaurant brands.

Motivational Video

“To anybody who’s reading this, I pray that whatever is hurting you or whatever you are constantly stressing about gets better. May the dark thoughts, the overthinking, and the doubt exit your mind right now. May clarity replace confusion. May peace and calmness fill your life.” – Diligent Motivation (on You Tube)

Have a great day (and week ahead). Make it happen. Make it count!

As I do every Saturday morning, I review some 300+ digital publications, blogs, newsletters & videos to which I subscribe. Most have been received in my email throughout the prior week. Upon receipt, I quickly skim and bookmark articles and information I find to be of interest and thus, worth reading with the understanding of learning, as opposed to a quick glance.

I am very focused on maintaining work/life balance, but I firmly believe there are things that can/should be done during some down time that could prove beneficial as the daily grind continues. They key is to maintain balance. With that in mind, I have found my Saturday mornings to be quite productive and worth my attention. A grind of a different kind but with similar productivity goals around success.

This morning I came across an article about goals that I found particularly interesting. Although, as I’m passionate about personal branding as well as self-promotion, I have a somewhat different perspective about this article. Here’s a snapshot of that article:

Why You Should Keep Your Big Career Goals a Secret from Your Friends

In any event, the article maintains that while it’s natural and oh so tempting to want to announce big goals, it’s smarter to keep them to yourself. In a 2009 experiment at New York University, 163 subjects were given a difficult work project and forty-five minutes to spend on it. Half the subjects were told to announce their goals, while half were told to keep quiet.

The subjects who announced their goals quit after only an average of thirty-three minutes, and reported feeling satisfied with their work. Those who kept their mouths shut, however, worked the entire forty-five minutes, and remained strongly motivated. (In fact, when the experiment ended, they wanted to keep working.)

Telling others about your big goals makes them less likely to happen, because it creates an unconscious payoff— tricking our brains into thinking we’ve already accomplished the goal. Keeping our big goals to ourselves is one of the smartest goals we can set.

Well, I’m not sure I completely agree as I’ve been taught to enlist the help of others, and especially those close to me to help move me toward achieving my goals. What also stands out in my mind is to make certain others have a stake in the goal. How does/can it benefit them if my goals are achieved? I also recall an emphasis being put on working toward common goals with others. After all, two heads are better than one, right?

“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” – Zig Ziglar

Golden Rules of Goal Setting

Have you thought about what you want to be doing in five years’ time? Are you clear about what your main objective at work is at the moment? Do you know what you want to have achieved by the end of today?

If you want to succeed, you need to set goals. Without goals you lack focus and direction. Goal setting not only allows you to take control of your life’s direction; it also provides you a benchmark for determining whether you are actually succeeding. Think about it: having a million dollars in the bank is only proof of success if one of your goals is to amass riches. If your goal is to practice acts of charity, then keeping the money for yourself is suddenly contrary to how you would define success.

To accomplish your goals, however, you need to know how to set them. You can’t simply say, “I want” and expect it to happen. Goal setting is a process that starts with careful consideration of what you want to achieve and ends with a lot of hard work to actually do it. In between, there are some very well-defined steps that transcend the specifics of each goal. Knowing these steps will allow you to formulate goals that you can accomplish.

Read more and watch the video at MindTools.com

7 Ways to Turn Your Dreams into Reality

Dreams without action is a world of make believe. Consider the following:

• 96 percent of college professors believe they have above average teaching skills.
• 50 percent of high school students believe they will attend law school, medical school or grad school.
• Time magazine asked in a survey, “Are you in the top 1% of wage earners?” Nineteen percent said yes! And 36 percent expected to be.

Really?!!!

Personally, I believe the best way to turn dreams into reality is to keep front and center the reason(s) why I started in the first place.

Reading for Information AND for Motivation & Inspiration

For those close to me, it’s a given to know that I’m an avid reader as I’m a sponge for new ideas and motivation & inspiration to make those ideas (and dreams) come true.

So, I always have a book or two on my desk that I’m reading or about to read for the first time. I also keep several other books that I have already read but I may be referring to them as inspiration and/or reference to a project.

It is all a process. Develop whatever process that works best for you!

Currently on my desk…

One More Thing (or 12 more things!)

12 Ways to Be More Productive on the Weekends

• Use different skills than you use during the week.
• Don’t try to do it all.
• Kick into gear first thing in the morning.
• Give your mind a break.
• Catch up on sleep.
• Hone a skill for the job you want.
• Write a guest post for a publication.
• Pick at least one obligation-free day.
• If you choose to work, set a time limit.
• Declutter your living spaces.
• Volunteer.
• Do something fun on Sunday night.

Credit to: Lindsay Kolowich Cox 

Have a great day. Make it happen. Make it count!

During the past couple of weeks, we discussed various ways to navigate our businesses through challenging times. We focused on solid business principles and wrapped up with mental health awareness. In retrospect, I was thinking, why was prayer not included in the mix?

After all, prayer is an essential part of every world religion, including Christianity. Most people realize it has something to do with talking to God. Many hope that it might bring much needed assistance or comfort when facing difficult circumstances.

Prayer offers new meaning, purpose, hope, and a sense of guidance or control. These perceptions may help instill a fighting spirit, which has been reported to be an important factor in healing. Prayer can enrich the quality of one’s life and also bring a feeling of peace.

So, doesn’t it make sense to include prayer in our efforts? Maybe not to the extent of including it in an action plan as I believe prayer should occur in both good and difficult times. Growing up, I was taught that praying for something specific, like a new bike was selfish. However, I don’t believe it’s selfish to pray for the courage AND strength necessary to face challenging times and periods of adversity.

Certainly, praying for hope, and praying for the benefit of others, for each other, for our loved ones should not be considered selfish. In fact, I believe it’s a moral obligation to think of others, to help others, and to pray for others.

In these times of economic uncertainty, public unrest, and a list of challenges too long to list, I humbly request, God, please hear our prayers.

As I was researching prayer, I came across a prayer by Pastor Justin Barnett that I’d like to share with you today. Pastor Barnett wrote the following at NeuseNews.com:

I was asked recently to submit a prayer for businesses that would be a part of a National Day of Prayer series for Neuse News. I immediately thought of all the small businesses that are struggling and many that are closed right now. I am intimately acquainted with the struggles of small businesses and small business owners. My grandfather opened and ran a small family business.

Later, my dad ran this same small family business. Throughout my childhood, my father was up early to work and home late from work, trying to keep the family business going. I saw the stress in his face, the same stress that drove him to chain smoke cigarettes all day long for many years. I remember the tension that troubles with the business placed upon my family. My heart and my prayers go out to those businesses that are struggling right now.

With this in mind, I offer this prayer. I invite you to pray with me, as you read it.

Lord, thank you for the small businesses in our communities, for the hard work, the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into them. For many, their businesses are not just stores or companies, they are the fabric of their lives and the lives of their loved ones. We pray God that You will guide these small business owners and provide for their families during this difficult and uncertain time.

We pray that every small business owner along with their family, will not be overcome by fear and worry, but that each and every one will trust in You and find wisdom and guidance in You. We pray that as they do this, that they will make wise decisions, the decisions that are best for their families, and that they will make these decisions at precisely the right moments.

n the Bible, Solomon wrote, “Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed (Proverbs 16:3, (NLT).” We pray that small business owners will follow this Scripture, and that they will commit everything to You, and that You will bless them with success. We pray that the public will see that the small businesses that operate with honesty and integrity, and that seek to treat people, be it staff, vendors, or customers, with kindness, compassion, and respect, are something that we desperately need in our communities. We pray that people will see the great need and the special benefits of supporting local mom and pop businesses and will buy locally.

God, be with our small business owners and their families. Bless them and keep them. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

God Bless Us All. Have a great day. Make it happen. Make it count.

Today is the 53rd Anniversary of one of America’s greatest achievements. The photos below are from the actual New York Daily News newspaper that I’ve kept secure since that majestic day. I love taking it out every year to read the articles, to look at all the unbelievable pictures, to remember the feeling of pride that was seemingly evident everywhere. And, without fail my own tears of pride run down my face – tears of American Pride!

At the bottom of the political cartoon of the day was a classic quote from the Bible. I don’t recall anyone being offended by it. To my knowledge, there weren’t demonstrations about it. And I don’t believe it was meant to shove religious beliefs down our throats.

I saw it more a whisper to us… thank God the astronauts landed safely and ultimately, thank God, they made it home.

To me there’s not much stronger than our wishes, hopes and dreams and when they’re seemingly similar across a group of people, a nation, they could either lift us up or drop us like a ton of bricks, shattering our beliefs and along with it our wishes, hopes and dreams.

So, when we’re lifted beyond our wildest imagination our feeling of exhilaration, although a mere whisper is really us screaming from the rooftops and from the highest mountains… Thank God!

On this, the 53rd Anniversary of Apollo 11 Lunar Landing I proudly share the following…

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Have a great day. Make it happen. Make it count!

Today is the next-to-last segment of the series, Preparing for War: You vs. Recession. Over the past week and a half, we have worked through the various things that entrepreneurs and small business owners can and should do to combat economic uncertainty and ultimately, the war against recession. There is no doubt, recession is on its way, if not already here lurking around every corner and already affecting us all.

But before we go on, allow me to reiterate, I’m not diminishing the importance of financial professionals by leaving them out of this series. It’s understood that managing and monitoring financials are extremely important functions, but there are many exceptional CPAs and the like out there to handle this function. It’s a given. Many have done a phenomenal job of doing so since the first lockdown. Again, kudos to these fantastic professionals. Survival to this point would not have been possible without you!

To recap the series, we addressed personal branding as a way to stand out in the community, understanding that people are attracted by a business or brand, but they want to do business with people. Being known (or perceived) as the subject-matter expert, the go-to person in the community certainly provides a leg up on competition while also building and reinforcing confidence in the minds of customers and employees alike. With personal branding established as a cornerstone of our strategy, we turned our focus to customer experience, employee experience and culture.

That said, the lion’s share of this series focused on the front line. It’s where the magic happens in a business. We also know it’s where catastrophes happen, as well. There’s a provider and a receiver in every transaction. Truly, it becomes a relationship beyond just handing over money or delivering food to a table. A positive experience is created by all the expected things in a transaction (quality food, product & service, professional environment, cleanliness, etc.) AND a sort of bond between provider and receiver, a relationship in the moment.

As well, the provider, the employee delivering a positive experience cannot be expected to do so if they aren’t experiencing their own positive experience within the business. We’ve identified the customer experience AND the employee experience as two additional cornerstones in our strategy. We took things a step further and introduced various tools and resources that would help monitor and evaluate both experiences including the Net Promoter System.

If you take only one thing away from this series, I highly recommend implementing the Net Promoter System in your business as soon as possible. Of course, I do recommend incorporating all parts of the strategy for optimum results. The Net Promoter System truly is a remarkable tool and one that highlights success and failure. It is spot-on!

The last cornerstone, culture was addressed and of course, is intertwined with the experience factor, both for customers and employees. In addition, culture extends to all stakeholders within the organization and that do business with the company or brand. I wholeheartedly agree with the quote from management guru, Peter Drucker, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It does, for sure, but that certainly does not eliminate the need for strategy!

There you have it, the cornerstones of our strategy – personal branding, customer experience, employee experience, and culture. They make up a very strong foundation if all are developed and put into place diligently and correctly with no shortcuts. Like a foundation that has a weak cornerstone, the foundation becomes compromised and all above it will begin to show signs of damage. The extent of damage depends upon the weakness of the cornerstone, or as two or more cornerstones fail simultaneously.

So, what’s left? What’s missing?

Well, there is a very most important thing missing, a person, and that person is YOU! Yes, you, the business owner, the entrepreneur, the CEO, the brand leaders, or whomever is charged with and responsible for the success of the organization, company or brand. Although success is the result of many working together toward common goal, there must be a formidable leader at the helm. No war has been won without one leading the charge.

And we know that a leader must be at the top of his or her game in order to be successful, and even more so during challenging times. That means that tomorrow, we will turn our attention to mental health, the focus of such that is often lacking in the busyness of the day. Often, mental health as it relates to business and its leaders is only mentioned after the fact. Although we now know it must be front and center. Unfortunately, mental health is still on the backburner for many. That must change!

Have a great day. Make it happen. Make it count.

Remember…