Your business habits can facilitate rapid growth and a rewarding career or they can stunt the growth of your business. Business habits can keep you from reaching your full potential, and hinder you from enjoying the success you are working to achieve. In order for your company to grow, finding and eliminating hurdles to your success is imperative. Below is a list of 8 common business habits that stand in the way of success. Mark the ones that you struggle with and work to eliminate their effect on your business.
Lack of Focus
Every business must provide quality, no matter what they do. To ensure that quality we must focus on our chosen mission. When we "branch out" we divide our focus into multiple directions, preventing us from providing the desired quality. The main thing is to keep the main thing, "the main thing". What is your company's focus? Where is your company straying from that focus? Decide on the one thing that your company does and do that one thing better.
Procrastination
"Someday I'll" is not a resort off the coast of Fiji. Tomorrow is no real guarantee. I understand you can't do it all today, but procrastination is a good way to get nothing done. There are many ways to combat procrastination. Setting deadlines is a good way to start. Deadlines have a way of stimulating action and creativity. Procrastination is also a symptom of feeling overwhelmed. When you notice that procrastination is creeping up on you, look at your to do list and find something you can get done right now. When finished find another. Then another. Before long your list will be done and you will have beaten procrastination.
Monotony
Doing the same thing, the same way time and time again can suck the life right out of your job. Explore new ways to get the same results. You might find a better way to achieve results you didn't think were possible. Look at other industries. How can you use them to achieve the results you need? Did you know the bank drive thru came from the fast food industry? Look at every step of your process and see if there is a different way to do it. It might not be better, but you never know till you try.
Control Issues
How many of us have said, "It's easier to do it than teach someone else"? I know I have. That is our ego trying to keep control of another part of your company. I understand it's hard to relinquish the reigns, but if your company is to grow, you must let go of something. You can't do everything and still be an effective leader. As your company grows you need to be working on your business more and working in your business less. Work on controlling the direction of your company instead of controlling every detail.
Overworking Yourself
My pastor often says, "if you are burning the candle at both ends, you aren't as bright as you think you are." That is so true. I am very guilty of this on a regular basis. I have a hard time stopping. I would work 28 hours a day if my eyes stayed open long enough. When we overwork ourselves our productivity suffers and you make poor decisions. Take time to refresh yourself. You might even break it up. Do something every week to help you relax. I look forward to the "date" my wife and I go on every Friday. I typically play games with my folks and my son every weekend. Do something every month to recharge your batteries. Play golf, or go to the lake. Do something out of your routine. Finally, do something every year to renew your attitude. Take a vacation or a staycation but get sometime off.
Seeking Approval
Are you waiting on some form of encouragement or approval to take the next step in your business? Do you need an "expert" to tell you your idea is a good one? Do you need overwhelming support from family and friends in order get your idea off the ground? The best way to get past this bad business habit is to acknowledge you abilities to yourself and make the decision that is waiting on nothing but you to pull the trigger. You can do anything you set your mind to, and the only approval you need is yours.
Lack of Creativity
Everyone is creative. Period. We may not all paint or compose, but we are all creative in some way or another. The beauty of creativity is that you can learn to have as much as you need. You see creativity is like any other muscle, if you work it, it gets stronger. If you ignore it gets weaker. So start exercising that muscle in your brain. There are tons of ways to work your creativity. Journal writing, sketchbooks, charades all help build your creativity. Board games like Cranium, Win Lose or Draw or Scattergories also are fun ways to stay creatively fit. Even if you just carried a notebook to write down ideas, that would help you spark full blown creativity later on.
Thinking Small
A common phrase heard around those who think small is "we can't". We tend to limit our possibilities before we even try when we are afraid of the outcome. Give yourself permission to think beyond what is possible. All of the great discoveries were at one time impossible. That's what made them great, the impossibility of it. What do you see as impossible? What goal is nagging you to come out but you aren't letting yourself say out loud? Imagine having achieved that. Picture it as so small that it seems like child's play. Envision yourself as conqueror over that impossible dream. Can you see it? Now, go out and make it happen. Success doesn't care if you aim too high, but aiming too low offends success.
How many of these business habits hit close to home for you? How many did you circle? There is no magic answer. Whether you saw one or all in yourself, we all have work to do. Write each one of the habits you need to work on fixing on a index card. Post it somewhere you can see it often as a reminder. If you need some encouragement feel free to drop me an email at [email protected].
Mark Combs is a 20+ year veteran of branding and logo design, Illustration, Advertising, Brochure design, and Direct Mail design. With experience at ad agencies, corporate marketing departments and even teaching graphic design at the collegiate level, Mark plies his craft to your design needs with great design sense and professionalism. Customer service is the focus of DzinDNA.com and your satisfaction is paramount.
