challenge of change

Photo by Gustavo Fring

Leadership is a learned skill. Almost anyone can start a business. But, not everyone can be a successful leader. What makes a good leader with solid leadership qualities? And how can business coaching help you develop your leadership skills and style? In this blog post, we will discuss what makes a good leader and how you can become one too!

The Features Of A Good Leader

Leadership is a quality that is often difficult to define, but everyone knows when they see it. In the business world, strong leaders are essential for success. So, what qualities make a good leader in business?

• First and foremost, a good leader must have a clear vision for their company and be able to articulate that vision to others. They must also be able to inspire others to buy into that vision and work together towards a common goal.
• Additionally, a good leader must be able to make tough decisions and weather difficult times. They must also be willing to take risks and learn from their mistakes.
• Finally, a good leader must build strong relationships with employees and key stakeholders. By possessing these qualities, a leader can set their company on the path to success.

How Can I Inspire My Employees?

People believe that in order to be a successful leader, you must possess certain qualities such as charisma, intelligence, and strength. However, many other important qualities are often overlooked, such as empathy, listening skills, and the ability to inspire others.

To be a successful leader, learning how to inspire your employees is important. One way to do this is by setting an example and leading by that example. Show your employees that you’re passionate about your work and that you’re committed to making a difference. This will show them that they can be passionate about their work as well. Additionally, try to create a positive and motivating environment in the workplace.

Encourage open communication and collaboration, and make sure everyone feels like they are a valuable part of the team. By taking these steps, you can inspire your employees and help them reach their full potential.

How Can Business Coaching Help Me Become A Better Leader?

Business coaching can help you become a better leader in so many ways. A business coach will help you assess your current leadership skills and develop a plan to improve them. Working hand-in-hand with honest feedback and guidance as you work to implement your plan.

In addition, a business coach can help you identify your leadership style and learn how to adapt it to different situations. With You Net Results, you can gain the skills and knowledge you need to take your leadership to the next level.

Don’t hesitate to contact You Net Results today for a complimentary consultation. Brian Gillis and our team will help you build your leadership foundation. We will plug you into a vast network of auto repair shops, working together to strengthen the industry! Let’s make August the best month of your business life!

If you are looking to expand your team and grow your business, you must put your systems and processes in place, so new hires can learn them. Otherwise, you’re in for a surprise with people winning stupid prizes by playing stupid people games.

What?! Yes, that’s right. Let me explain.

How many times have you hired someone who you thought was a promising candidate? Someone who interviewed well, passed your criteria, and looked like a winner on paper. Then, you hired that individual and found later that they were poor performers. Or worse, you thought they were just plain stupid.

Do you really think they were stupid? Seriously, after all that vetting, do you think you hired someone dumb? I would argue that you didn’t hire a foolish person. Instead, you had non-existent or poorly defined systems and procedures in place — if there was any documentation at all — and that “stupid” person was thrown into the fire with no procedural support system. 

After all, we don’t hire dumb folks. Instead, we have lacking systems and processes that make them look stupid and force them to underperform. 

In short, it’s not their fault. It’s ours. We failed them because no one is inherently stupid. But too many business owners don’t recognize this, and they continue pretending. They’re winning stupid prizes by playing stupid people games. Here’s what I’m talking about:

Nicole Mason on Unsplash

Stupid people…or stupid business practices?

I was talking with a shop owner recently. During the course of our conversation, he told me everyone he hired was stupid, and they never did what he told them to do. I asked him who hired them? There was silence on the phone. Was it the owner or the people? What prize do you think he won?

Quite frankly, it’s a stupid way to run a business.

Let’s rid ourselves of this “stupid” label and take a different approach.

If you were to build a house and laid the foundation before meeting with the architect, you have on your hands a failed and expensive home-building process. Your systems and processes dictate your success, and we have seen too many small business owners jump into action without having a solid plan called systems and processes in place. That is why Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs are critical to the success of any business.

McDonald’s and other major fast-food chains have learned how to streamline SOPs in such a way that the average 16-year-old high school student can train in one or two days and become highly productive within their first week of employment. 

So here’s the question: What is preventing you from hiring intelligent and talented people who prove to you over time that they are worthy? What’s stopping your new hires from reaching success is your lack of Standard Operating Procedures guiding them steadily toward that success.

Let us help you solve your systems problems!

If you are genuinely searching for a streamlined system that will help your employees win, your business grow, and will lower your stress level, and you need to adapt well-thought-out systems and processes. When you work with You Net Results, we will take you through proven systems and techniques that will help your business grow. Our strategies help shop owners reach their next million dollars in revenue and help their company culture thrive as well.

Who do you know that could benefit from well-documented, seamless systems and processes? If you know anyone who could benefit, including yourself, please schedule a consultation with You Net Results. After all, great intentions don’t pay the bills. If you are willing to invest in yourself and your team, you are on the right track in avoiding stupid people games that waste your time and money.

At You Net Results, we dedicate many training hours to business systems. Our classes and coaching sessions address how to reduce mistakes and prevent lost details. To find out more, contact us for a complimentary consultation. Brian Gillis will discuss your business strategies and find ways to improve your annual revenue and company culture.

Review parts 1 through 15 for details and thinking, then utilize the Recipe for Change.

Part 15 – Discipline Determines Destiny

What disciplines are lacking in your leadership through change?  Is the lack of discipline the root cause of your challenge to change? Are you a highly disciplined person? What disciplines do you practice?

Purpose and goals are achieved through discipline. Start today on your road to discipline. There are many rewards to discipline: less stress, more productivity, positive impact on others, opens doors of opportunity and reaching your goals with purpose.

It all starts with you and your habits. Your people will do what you do. You cannot say one thing and then do another.  So it’s up to YOU!

The Recipe for Change

When you’re baking a cake, there are certain ingredients that are necessary for the cake to come out as planned. You need to follow a step by step procedure. Include all portions as described, mix as indicated, then cook for the optimum time and temperature. Any variation from the recipe may cause an incomplete and utter disaster! If you don’t follow the recipe, you will not get the results you were expecting.

When you’re leading your company and staff through change, a recipe would be very helpful, so here it is:

1. You must be totally committed to the change (1 gallon)
2. It must be well defined and written (1 pint)
3. You must be willing to accept the push back and resistance (1 quart)
4. Create the WHY story to sell to sell your staff (Five Pounds)
5. Talk to them one-on-one (1 Tablespoon)
6. Give them time to adjust mentally to the change (Let Marinate 1 week)
7. Let them express their feelings (Snap-Crackle-Pop)
8. Set a rollout date for the change to occur (Cook Time 10 Days)
9. Have many training sessions before rollout (Mixing steps)
10. Establish the change as a habit (Tasting the results)

This is a quick and simple recipe for change. Follow the ingredients and steps, and see what results you will achieve. Review parts 1 through 15 for more details and thinking.

Management is the formula.

Leadership is the essential catalyst.

You are the stick that stirs the ingredients.

Review parts 1 through 15 for details and thinking, then utilize the Recipe for Change.

Part 14 – Look in the Mirror

Why can’t I change?  That’s a great question. It’s hard to answer, but there is hope. I was talking to a shop owner, and he kept telling me his people would not do what he asked them to do. He could not find people to work in his business, and he has owned this shop for 10 years. He was blaming other people, so I pulled the trump card and hit him between the eyes.

I shared with him it was HIM that was the problem. His lack of Leadership and Management skills were his biggest hurdle. By the way, he is working around 100 hours per week; I would say he is on a death march. As John C. Maxwell says, “everything rises and falls on Leadership.” Do you believe this shop owner can change his ways? Or perhaps it’s YOU and your business that needs to change.

Where will you start? What will be your pathway to change? What’s wrong with you? How do you shake the bad behavior? How will you turnaround your condition? Can you truly transform?

GREAT NEWS – YES YOU CAN!

It all starts with your thinking, because your thoughts govern each area of our lives – emotions, decisions, actions, attitudes and words – any lasing transformation must begin with your mind.

You need a new way of thinking by renewing your mind.

You renew your mind by beginning a personal development journey.

When you think right, you’ll act right.

The Recipe for Change

When you’re baking a cake, there are certain ingredients that are necessary for the cake to come out as planned. You need to follow a step by step procedure. Include all portions as described, mix as indicated, then cook for the optimum time and temperature. Any variation from the recipe may cause an incomplete and utter disaster! If you don’t follow the recipe, you will not get the results you were expecting.

When you’re leading your company and staff through change, a recipe would be very helpful, so here it is:

1. You must be totally committed to the change (1 gallon)
2. It must be well defined and written (1 pint)
3. You must be willing to accept the push back and resistance (1 quart)
4. Create the WHY story to sell to sell your staff (Five Pounds)
5. Talk to them one-on-one (1 Tablespoon)
6. Give them time to adjust mentally to the change (Let Marinate 1 week)
7. Let them express their feelings (Snap-Crackle-Pop)
8. Set a rollout date for the change to occur (Cook Time 10 Days)
9. Have many training sessions before rollout (Mixing steps)
10. Establish the change as a habit (Tasting the results)

This is a quick and simple recipe for change. Follow the ingredients and steps, and see what results you will achieve. Review parts 1 through 15 for more details and thinking.

Management is the formula.

Leadership is the essential catalyst.

You are the stick that stirs the ingredients.

Review parts 1 through 15 for details and thinking, then utilize the Recipe for Change.

Part 13 – Seven Step Transition Method

Need a method of managing transition? Please see the seven step process listed below, taken from Leader to Leader Institute’s Leading Transition article:

1. Describe the change and why in less than one minute
2. Make sure the details of the change are planned, detailed, and a time frame is set
3. Understand who is going to have to let go of what and when
4. Make sure people are given time to respectively let go of the past
5. Continually communicate the purpose, the picture, the plan, and the part
6. Create temporary solutions to the temporary problems
7. Articulate the new attitudes and behaviors needed to make the change

So how do these 7 steps apply to you? Great question! The next change you want to make in your business is to use these seven steps as a systemic process for making a change. Take a test drive of the seven step process. Only then you will know!

The Recipe for Change

When you’re baking a cake, there are certain ingredients that are necessary for the cake to come out as planned. You need to follow a step by step procedure. Include all portions as described, mix as indicated, then cook for the optimum time and temperature. Any variation from the recipe may cause an incomplete and utter disaster! If you don’t follow the recipe, you will not get the results you were expecting.

When you’re leading your company and staff through change, a recipe would be very helpful, so here it is:

1. You must be totally committed to the change (1 gallon)
2. It must be well defined and written (1 pint)
3. You must be willing to accept the push back and resistance (1 quart)
4. Create the WHY story to sell to sell your staff (Five Pounds)
5. Talk to them one-on-one (1 Tablespoon)
6. Give them time to adjust mentally to the change (Let Marinate 1 week)
7. Let them express their feelings (Snap-Crackle-Pop)
8. Set a rollout date for the change to occur (Cook Time 10 Days)
9. Have many training sessions before rollout (Mixing steps)
10. Establish the change as a habit (Tasting the results)

This is a quick and simple recipe for change. Follow the ingredients and steps, and see what results you will achieve. Review parts 1 through 15 for more details and thinking.

Management is the formula.

Leadership is the essential catalyst.

You are the stick that stirs the ingredients.

Review parts 1 through 15 for details and thinking, then utilize the Recipe for Change.

Part 12 – Transition

Three key words – transition, change, and implementation -w from the Leader to Leader Institute: Leading Transition: A New Model for Change. Have you ever barked and order, “Just do it”? And what are you supposed to do when they just don’t do it – when your people do not make the changes that you need to be made?

The first key word comes to mind is “transition”. It is an internal psychological reorientation that people have to go through before change can take place. Transition is not a timed event. It happens much more slowly than change. We must first work on the way people think about what we have asked them to change.

Transition has three steps: Step 1 is saying goodbye to the old way of doing it.  Step 2 is shifting into neutral after letting go of the old ways, despite not having begun the new ways yet. Step 3 is moving forward when new behavior starts to take over and change is now beginning to work.

We must attend to transition or the change will collapse.

The Recipe for Change

When you’re baking a cake, there are certain ingredients that are necessary for the cake to come out as planned. You need to follow a step by step procedure. Include all portions as described, mix as indicated, then cook for the optimum time and temperature. Any variation from the recipe may cause an incomplete and utter disaster! If you don’t follow the recipe, you will not get the results you were expecting.

When you’re leading your company and staff through change, a recipe would be very helpful, so here it is:

1. You must be totally committed to the change (1 gallon)
2. It must be well defined and written (1 pint)
3. You must be willing to accept the push back and resistance (1 quart)
4. Create the WHY story to sell to sell your staff (Five Pounds)
5. Talk to them one-on-one (1 Tablespoon)
6. Give them time to adjust mentally to the change (Let Marinate 1 week)
7. Let them express their feelings (Snap-Crackle-Pop)
8. Set a rollout date for the change to occur (Cook Time 10 Days)
9. Have many training sessions before rollout (Mixing steps)
10. Establish the change as a habit (Tasting the results)

This is a quick and simple recipe for change. Follow the ingredients and steps, and see what results you will achieve. Review parts 1 through 15 for more details and thinking.

Management is the formula.

Leadership is the essential catalyst.

You are the stick that stirs the ingredients.

Review parts 1 through 15 for details and thinking, then utilize the Recipe for Change.

Part 11 – A New Model for Change

Change isn’t optional. It is essential. Why can’t things stay the same? Why do we have to change? How can we make change fun? What hangs up change?

I have been reading an article written by Leader to Leader Institute called “Leading Transition: A New Model for Change.” Change is nothing new to leaders. We understand by now that organizations cannot be just endlessly “managed,” replicating yesterday’s practices to achieve success. Business conditions change and yesterday’s assumptions and practices no longer work. There must be innovation, and innovation means change.

Yet the thousands of books, seminars, and consulting engagements purporting to help “manage change” often fall short. These tools tend to neglect the dynamics of personal and organizational transition that can determine the outcome of any change effort.  As a result, they fail to address the leader’s need to coach others through the transition process. They also fail to acknowledge the fact that leaders themselves need coaching before they can effectively coach others.

Wouldn’t it be nice to say “Do it this way now”, and everyone jumps on board and gets the job done. There would be zero pushback, no odd stares, no deer in the headlight looks, no frowns on their faces – just good old fashioned “yes we can” action.

Yes, we need a system to follow through the transition to change!

That’s what’s missing – a system!

The Recipe for Change

When you’re baking a cake, there are certain ingredients that are necessary for the cake to come out as planned. You need to follow a step by step procedure. Include all portions as described, mix as indicated, then cook for the optimum time and temperature. Any variation from the recipe may cause an incomplete and utter disaster! If you don’t follow the recipe, you will not get the results you were expecting.

When you’re leading your company and staff through change, a recipe would be very helpful, so here it is:

1. You must be totally committed to the change (1 gallon)
2. It must be well defined and written (1 pint)
3. You must be willing to accept the push back and resistance (1 quart)
4. Create the WHY story to sell to sell your staff (Five Pounds)
5. Talk to them one-on-one (1 Tablespoon)
6. Give them time to adjust mentally to the change (Let Marinate 1 week)
7. Let them express their feelings (Snap-Crackle-Pop)
8. Set a rollout date for the change to occur (Cook Time 10 Days)
9. Have many training sessions before rollout (Mixing steps)
10. Establish the change as a habit (Tasting the results)

This is a quick and simple recipe for change. Follow the ingredients and steps, and see what results you will achieve. Review parts 1 through 15 for more details and thinking.

Management is the formula.

Leadership is the essential catalyst.

You are the stick that stirs the ingredients.

Review parts 1 through 15 for details and thinking, then utilize the Recipe for Change.

Part 10 – Stay Focused

Golfer Playing on Beautiful Golf Course

Getting focused is an essential key to making change happen. Here is a story that may illustrate the concept of focus, written by Bill Crowder.

I enjoy playing golf, so I occasionally watch instructional videos or read magazines. One such video, however, left me disappointed. The teacher presented a golf swing that had at least 8 steps and a dozen sub-points under each step. That was too much information!

While I’m not a great golfer, years of playing have taught me this. The more thoughts you have in your head as you swing, the less likely you are to be successful. You must simplify your thought process and focus on what matters most-making a solid contact with the ball. The instructor’s many points got in the way.

In golf, as in life and business change, we must focus on what matters most.

When you are taking people through change, focus on the large view, not all the small pieces first. Take the 40,000 foot view, and hit the main highlights first.

Make sure the main thing remain the main thing. Don’t get caught up in the fine details until the large pieces have become habits. Then you can come in and fine tune the change.

For example, you may desire to start using scripts to answer the phone and sell work to your customers. Start basic, get the big picture, then fill in the details once you feel the buy in.

The bottom line is STAY FOCUSED on the BIG PICTURE, not all the details, in the beginning.

The Recipe for Change

When you’re baking a cake, there are certain ingredients that are necessary for the cake to come out as planned. You need to follow a step by step procedure. Include all portions as described, mix as indicated, then cook for the optimum time and temperature. Any variation from the recipe may cause an incomplete and utter disaster! If you don’t follow the recipe, you will not get the results you were expecting.

When you’re leading your company and staff through change, a recipe would be very helpful, so here it is:

1. You must be totally committed to the change (1 gallon)
2. It must be well defined and written (1 pint)
3. You must be willing to accept the push back and resistance (1 quart)
4. Create the WHY story to sell to sell your staff (Five Pounds)
5. Talk to them one-on-one (1 Tablespoon)
6. Give them time to adjust mentally to the change (Let Marinate 1 week)
7. Let them express their feelings (Snap-Crackle-Pop)
8. Set a rollout date for the change to occur (Cook Time 10 Days)
9. Have many training sessions before rollout (Mixing steps)
10. Establish the change as a habit (Tasting the results)

This is a quick and simple recipe for change. Follow the ingredients and steps, and see what results you will achieve. Review parts 1 through 15 for more details and thinking.

Management is the formula.

Leadership is the essential catalyst.

You are the stick that stirs the ingredients.

Review parts 1 through 15 for details and thinking, then utilize the Recipe for Change.

Part 9 – Profit Protector

Remember the Pocket Protectors from the past? Perhaps you are not old enough, so let me explain. They were made of plastic and would slide inside of your shirt pocket. When you slipped your pens and screw drivers in and out of the pockets protector it kept your shirt from getting ink stained or torn. They simply protected your pockets from wear and tear. Very handy devices from the past. Does anyone still use them?

I want to introduce a new protector call a “Profit Protector”. It is designed to insure profits for you business.

Here are a few questions to gather your thoughts:

• What day of the month does your business break even?
• Do you track your CODB (Monthly cost of doing business)?
• Do you track your daily gross profit dollars?
• Are you stacking up cash?
• Do you have sufficient working capital? (3 times monthly sales)
• Do you have sufficient reserve money? (6 times CODB)

Back in 1992 we required a gross profit of 42% to make money. In the year 2011, it required 61% to make money. Are you a student of your profit? Are you as student of your CODB?

Become a Profit Protector!

Would you like to join the club?

The Recipe for Change

When you’re baking a cake, there are certain ingredients that are necessary for the cake to come out as planned. You need to follow a step by step procedure. Include all portions as described, mix as indicated, then cook for the optimum time and temperature. Any variation from the recipe may cause an incomplete and utter disaster! If you don’t follow the recipe, you will not get the results you were expecting.

When you’re leading your company and staff through change, a recipe would be very helpful, so here it is:

1. You must be totally committed to the change (1 gallon)
2. It must be well defined and written (1 pint)
3. You must be willing to accept the push back and resistance (1 quart)
4. Create the WHY story to sell to sell your staff (Five Pounds)
5. Talk to them one-on-one (1 Tablespoon)
6. Give them time to adjust mentally to the change (Let Marinate 1 week)
7. Let them express their feelings (Snap-Crackle-Pop)
8. Set a rollout date for the change to occur (Cook Time 10 Days)
9. Have many training sessions before rollout (Mixing steps)
10. Establish the change as a habit (Tasting the results)

This is a quick and simple recipe for change. Follow the ingredients and steps, and see what results you will achieve. Review parts 1 through 15 for more details and thinking.

Management is the formula.

Leadership is the essential catalyst.

You are the stick that stirs the ingredients.