Business Coach Tip Brian Tracy

Business Coach Tip # 72 B v3.7a
…Heck of a title , isn’t it?

Well, this is one of many, many strategies professional business coaches use with business leaders.

Have you ever thought of the power certain words have on your life? Take, for instance, the word “zero”. Who wants to be a “zero”, really? I think most of us would prefer to be seen as “tens”! I want to talk today, though, about how the word “zero” can be the most important one you add to your success-building vocabulary this year.

If you’ve been following the blog, you know our business coaching principles are based on Focal Point, Brian Tracy’s incredibly successful book on how to achieve success. ( If you'd like a free copy of this as an e-book, contact me at drubino "AT" focalpointcoaching.com )In that book, Brian talks about a concept he calls “zero-based thinking”. Before we move on, think about the images that phrase, “zero-based thinking” conjure up in your mind. “Ground Zero”, “zero possibilities” and “all the way back to zero” are responses our business coaching clients have given. Those seem like pretty negative concepts, don’t they? Well hold on, because I’m going to show you how “zero-based thinking” is an incredibly powerful, positive step in building your future success.

Here’s how Brian defines the concept: “Is there anything that I am doing right now that, knowing what I now know, I wouldn’t get into again, if I was starting over today?” In other words, what business relationships, product lines or sales strategies have proven over time to have a negative impact on your success? When you really zero in on your daily activities, what’s hurting more than helping? Where are you spending your time with zero return on that investment?

Now, apply those same questions to the team you’re supervising. What are you doing, individually and as a team, which is actually unproductive? It’s going to surprise you how much time you’re spending on things that have a negative effect on your ability to succeed! We all fall into this trap; it’s sometimes easier to form negative habits (keep selling the same old product line, keep meeting with contacts who bring no benefit) than it is to turn our energies toward the things that will bring greater success.

Going through this process helps you “zero in” on the things that are draining the energy out of you and your team. Can you see how powerful “zero-based thinking” could be in moving you toward success?

Finding the answers to those questions, and helping clients discover ways to remove those unproductive things from their business strategy is exactly what business coaches do. I’d like to hear your feedback on this concept! Talk to me about what you might need to remove from your life. I’ve got some great strategies for you, when you’re ready to ask the hard questions.

Steve Thompson, President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy