Tuesday, June 17, 2008

I've just bought a Business, what would a FocalPoint Business Coach do for me?

Hi, welcome back.

I'd like to keep answering Dave's question about his construction company.

Continuing with the above and below the line theme, what makes a Winner a Winner?

Well a "Winner" acts and reacts a certain way. Working with a Business Coach to make changes in your business, you would learn about another acronym to describe a Winner. As you may or may not know, Brian Tracy is the power behind FocalPoint Business Coaching. His years of speaking , training and workshops have earned him the right to be know as the father of Business Coaching.

At one of our now famous San Diego Summit’s, Brian Tracy, Cam Fraser, Steve Thompson and myself discussed business people and team members who are either above and below the line. Steve and I put forth an acronym that was created by one of our International Coach Trainers, Ian Hayman. Ian’s trick for remembering the personal traits of a winner are found in the acronym P.R.O.V.E

A winner proves that things can get done. They are

  • Proactive
  • Responsible
  • They take Ownership
  • They have Vision ( of some sort, in that they embrace change and the future)
  • Strive for Excellence

In our next posting I’ll discuss the traits of someone who is Below The Line of Problems. Until then!

Thanks,

Dominic Rubino,

Executive Vice President,

FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy

www.focalpointcoaching.com

www.stevethompsonfocalpointcoaching.blogspot.com

http://www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching

http://www.briantracy.com/coaching/coachingprograms.aspx

Building a Business with the wrong kind of people.

Welcome back! In this post, I'll be filling out our conversation on people who live below the line. These are people who you may have on your team, OR, that you may be inviting on your team. Either way - these are NOT the kind of people you can build a business on.

I hope you’re enjoying my mini-lesson on the 2 kinds of people in the world, Winners and Whiners, Victors and Victims. Of course, in order to even qualify to become a certified, professional Business Coach, it isn’t enough to just talk about these things, you must live them as well.

Did you know that only 1.5% of the people who approach us about becoming a coach ever qualify to join us? I don’t mind saying that we are an elite group. It is what it is.

The certified, professional Business Coaches on our team are masters at not only talking the talk, but walking the walk. So we’re aware of what below the line behavior looks like.

We see it with our clients, we see it with the people on their team – hey we may even see it in ourselves from time to time. As long as we/you / anyone doesn't stay there!

Let me start and end that thought with the reminder that its OK to fall below the line from time to time – as long as you’re just visiting! Life is finer above the line as a winner!

We've brought out some acronyms already ( see previous posts re P.R.O.B.L.E.M. and P.R.O.V.E.) Of course people that are a "Whiner" have an acronym too. B.E.N.D. Of course, “bends” is a word that helps you as an owner, or us as Business Coaches identify people. You’ll see why in a second.

B is for Blame. It’s never their fault. Quick to point a finger , they are just as shocked as anyone that X, Y, or Z didn't happen again!

E I for Excuses. The dog ate my blog, etc

N is Negative. Heck, they may not even know what positive IS

D is Denial. It’s not them, its everyone else.

A Business Coach will suggest that an owner or executive listen for statements like this to find anyone below the line on their team.

“Gee, that construction on the 215 makes me so mad. They’ve been working on that for a year now and it makes me late every day!”

Yikes. Blame, Denial, Excuses – all wrapped in one! A winner would have figured out that they just need to leave the house earlier!

I’ve noticed that Unions tend to be rife with below the line attitudes. Of course,- they’ll just deny it. Kind of makes my point doesn't it?

You can't build a team with people like this. Working with a Business Coach, we'll show you the tricks of the trade on changing this type of team. It takes work, but smart work. Brian Tracy has taught us some of his best strategies and techniques for quickly identifying, solving and removing this problem in the future. Once Dave has a team of the right people doing the right things ( Winners - people above the line of PROBLEMS), he can start making changes and making money.

If you have questions about your business, like Dave did, please ask them here. We'll share what we can with you - so you can make the changes needed.

Have a great day!



Sunday, June 15, 2008

What will a Business Coach do for my business?

We already have a question!

It's amazing, really, how critical the world of Business Coaching has become. A FocalPoint Business Coach is a certified, trained professional who has years or experience backing them up.

We just started this blog , and the world has responded. " I just purchased a ( construction)company. What would a Business Coach do for me? "

Great question.

Many of our Coaches have left corporate America, where they ran mega-companies. ( AmeriTrade, Chiquita, SAP, Liz Claiborne, US Army, Various Major and Regional Banks, etc) Some ran smaller companies, either as owner, or C-level and above. Either way the value they bring to the table for a business owner or executive is made to be impactful.

Let me begin to answer your question with an answer you wouldn't expect.

"I don't know....."

Now, before you get angry, what I mean is, I don't know enough. So, "Dave" if you give me a bit more detail, I'm happy to go deeper on that answer.

If I had to take a stab in the dark, I'd assume you were talking about a situation we see often- where a new owner ( or executive ) comes in , and there is resistance from the old team.

They feel threatened, maybe a little scared, and generally worried.

You, on the other hand, have big plans, a vision for change and a timeline to get it done in! ....and they know that.

Before you can get them to help you with the changes, it might be time to set out some rules for "Dave's Construction company" ( you didn't leave a company name, Dave) , or, at least the rules for how you want things to go.

Imagine you're the new coach of a college football team. You head out onto the field on first day of practice and survey your new team as you begin the walk across the field. As you walk up to them, you take a mental inventory.

".... Hmm.....
These guys seem like a fit and healthy looking bunch.
They look like they're goofing off, waiting for me to show up.
They seem dressed for running practice- maybe they think we're doing time splits today.
Hey, how come no one has pads?
There's not many guys out ,either...
Hmm, I don't see anyone that looks like D-Line or even O-Line material. Not one of these guys breaks 195!...."

Finally, you're standing in front of them...your new team. Yup, you're the coach. The Football Coach - of a soccer team.

See, what if your construction company is like this? For you to teach them how you want this business run ( game played) - they're going to need new rules before anything can happen.

Business Coaching is a lot like coaching in professional sport. The high performing individual in our case is the business owner and their team, not the athlete. The output isn't the Superbowl, it's winning at business.

So, working with a FocalPoint Business Coach, here's one of the base rules we'll teach you more about. Brian Tracy talks about this concept of Personal Responsibility. We've also seen it referred to as Victor /Victim , or the Winner/Whiner Concept, or having an Internal and External Locus of Control. ( Jay Abraham, Tony Robbins, Verne Harnish)

It goes like this, and it can be applied to any team you are working with.

There are only 2 kinds of people in the world. That’s it.

If you’re trying to drive a change in culture in your business, or with a Business Coaching client, this is an indispensable tool.

And these 2 kinds of people are easy to spot, if you know what you’re looking for.

The 2 kinds of people are defined by how they act react to a P.R.O.B.L.E.M. This is a business coach tool that smart business owners grab onto and learn as much as they can about.

Acronyms and other learning tools will be an important part of keeping your message real and remembered. The acronym we use for P.R.O.B.L.E.M. is People Reacting Oddly Because Life Expects More .

To define this concept, take a blank page and draw a line across it like this, dividing it in half ( top from bottom)
"----------------------------------------------------------"
That line represents Problems in the world. How we, as business people and humans act and react to those PROBLEMS plays a big part in how well your team will change.

Then on top of that line would be the Winners of the world. Winners are people that other people want to be around, right? Well, under that line would be the opposite of Winner….. “Whiner”

Please don’t use the word “loser”. Defining people with a such a negative word is destructive and will alienate you from your client and your team. Look – the definition remains the same, but its far better to say WHINER.

Over the next few days, I’ll tell you a bit more about the things that make a person above or below that line.
Dave, drop me a line if I'm not answering the exact question you had - and thanks for reaching out!

Monday, June 9, 2008

What would I talk to a Business Coach about?

Here's a common question we get as Business Coaches; and you might be asking it too.








What does a Business Coach do?








This is a valid question every time it is asked.

















The best answer is a simple one. Professional, Certified, Business Coaches work based on 4 main themes.






We work with Business Owners who want more Time in their Business - whether it's time for themselves, or time in terms of reducing it for production or distribution.







"Team". Every business is different. Some need to find more people, better people, different people. Some need to lose people. Smaller companies might be thinking about hiring their first person. Whatever it is, a Business Coach can show you the systems and tools for building a great team.



"Money". Ah yes, Money...this is the one that most people ask about. Yes,we show you how to make more money. As Brian Tracy says- everything in business should have an ROI. When you start using a Business Coach, there will be a fee, and you should target your ROI at 5 to 10 x your investment. So, for qualified businesses owners, business coaching is free plus a profit.



"Exit Strategy". At some point, you'll be thinking about selling your business, or maybe you already are. We don't sell your business, like a broker, what we do is help you get your business ready to sell. Any new owner is going to want to buy a business that is churning out profits.



And as you can see from the graphic above, we also reduce frustration and stress.



That, in a nutshell is what a Business Coach does.



Thanks for reading our blog, we're happy you came.



Dominic Rubino



Business Coach, FocalPoint Coaching

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Let's Get this Blog Started !

Hello World!
Well, this is the first posting to our new Blog.

The purpose of our BLOG "Ask A Business Coach", and of our webste "www.FocalPointCoaching.com " and really, our purpose in everything we do is to add massive value to the world.

We'd like you to refer to this blog if you have a business question that you want answered by a Certified, Professional Business Coach. Your questions, your thoughts are important to us,a nd we'll get back to you right away.

Did you know that FocalPoint Coaching is "Powered by Brian Tracy" ? What does this mean? It means that our coaches use the proven and globally respected content and methodology of Brian Tracy when we work with Business Owners.

The answers you get here won't be cowboy, gunslinger, off the cuff answers, based on "well, I think that will work".

No.

The answers you'll get here are based on the proven methods, steps, strategies, checklists, testimonials, case studies and success stories of our clients worldwide.

At the end of the day, Business Coaching is a tool to help you make more money in your business. We 've learned somethign in all the years we've been coaching. "Provide value and people will seek you out." That's our goal here.

Ask us a question! Post a comment! We'll answer you with realistic, usable info, not fluff and theory.

Thanks for checking in. We look forward to your questions.

Dominic Rubino
Executive Vice President, FocalPoint Coaching