Kevin Lawrence is a business coach, speaker and agent of change,
who is driven by a relentless passion for helping entrepreneurs and business leaders
get what they really want, in business and life.
With more than a decade of hands on experience as a business coach
to hundreds of entrepreneurs and business leaders across Canada and the United States,
Kevin is an expert at helping clients overcome major obstacles, deal with tough decisions
and capitalize on new opportunities to achieve breakthrough results.
For more information, visit www.CoachKevin.com
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email Janice@CoachKevin.com
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or call his office toll-free at
1-877-564-6224
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NEW ARTICLE FROM KEVIN LAWRENCE: The Leader's Edge: How to Transform a Company by Unlocking the Leader
If you take a close look at most entrepreneurs in their first year of business, you’d find an impressive level of passion, commitment and vision. They know what they want and they’re ready to take on the world to get it. A few years later, that fire often begins to wane, and beyond that many entrepreneurs are on a steady path to overwhelm, exhaustion and burnout. If they aren’t being crushed by the demands of the business, they’re struggling to keep up with the brisk level of business and opportunity they’ve created. Although there are those rare few who thrive under this kind of pressure, most business leaders gradually lose their original excitement and momentum. This is problematic enough for the individual entrepreneur, but to make matters worse, their business inevitably follows the same track. When the leader loses their edge, the company struggles. This is exactly what happened with a client of mine; we’ll call him Sam. Having tried many different businesses over the years, he finally found his stride when he launched a technology company. Brimming with dreams and excitement, Sam’s first few years in business generated impressive results. His business exploded, his ideas won awards, and his revenues climbed higher than he ever imagined. He assembled a strong team and together they built a thriving company. But the more business he created, the more he struggled to cope with demands. Loose ends piled up and decisions were repeatedly put off; he just didn’t have time to think about them. Details started to slip through the cracks and Sam missed a few deadlines. As the backlog of projects grew, so did his work week – and his stress level. With too much to do, his standards started slipping and his personal life disintegrated. Between fatigue and stress, his enthusiasm for the business dropped to an all-time low. Before long, the company’s growth followed suit. As Sam descended into the classic entrepreneur’s crisis, his employees were with him every step of the way. His morale sank; their productivity slackened. His standards weakened; they put out less effort. He neglected his responsibilities; they did too. Like every leader, Sam’s state was setting the tone for the entire company. For leaders to secure the long-term success of a company or organization, they must recognize the tremendous influence that their actions and approach to obstacles have on the entire company. The consistent ability to take clear, decisive action is the one factor that separates an effective leader from the common one. The leader is the model for the rest of the company, and when that person is thriving – doing work they love, experiencing joy and freedom – they are in a position to lead the company much more effectively. When the leader is focused and decisive, things get done. If the head of a company is struggling, either personally or professionally, that struggle is reflected in their leadership, and delays and problems develop very quickly. Decisions are put off, which leads to a backlog of incomplete projects and unresolved situations that eventually overwhelm the leader and the company. As this situation escalates, people are forced to react instead of initiate. Over time, this erodes everyone’s ability to generate results – not to mention their peace of mind and enjoyment of the work. To keep the company moving with great momentum, the leader must stay on the Leader’s Edge: that energized, alert, fully engaged state of being at their best. They must be a leader who refuses to rest in mediocrity and indecision (especially when business is good or the pressure is on). So how does a leader develop an unwavering commitment to progress – and maintain it when they’re burdened with all sorts of demands? The only way is to make a fundamental shift: commit to moving through and conquering the obstacles that they could easily avoid or tolerate in the shadow of so many responsibilities. In action, this fundamental shift means the leader refuses to tolerate anything less than what he or she really wants. This is the one piece that sets everything else in motion. Once that commitment is firm, the company (and the people in it) can develop a fierce level of efficiency by working with a simple four-step process:
STEP 1: Commit to what you REALLY want.
I always ask our clients, “If you could have it your way, how would you spend your working hours?” This question opens up our thinking to new possibilities and goes right to the heart of what they really love to do (but might have given up on) and what brings out the best in them. Whether they don’t know how to create this dream role for themselves or they doubt it’s even possible, the first step is to get clear and honest about what they really want – if they could have it their way. (Because they can.) Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, talks about the BHAG: the Big, Hairy Audacious Goal, the ultimate vision or goal you want to achieve in your life or business over the next 10 to 25 years. This would be your ideal picture – the one that seems completely out of reach but still makes your pulse quicken. This is what you REALLY want. So, dare to want it – even when you don’t have the slightest idea how to get there. At this point, it’s not important to know how to get the result you want, only what it is. This is a key point because not knowing how will stop 90% of people in their tracks. They give up before they even try. Often, when people don’t see how, they’re reluctant to commit to the goal. And yet, if you don’t get clear on what you want, you are incapable of generating the energy, commitment and creativity that will show you how to do it. When you fully commit to what you really want, when you can see it happening and really feel it, that commitment unlocks the ever-creative mind to see solutions, resources and opportunities that were hidden before. This is where brilliance and innovation happen, where you’re at your absolute best – energized by and drawn toward a huge and inspiring goal.
STEP 2: Sharpen your edge.
Think about elite marathon runners in motion. They are alert and energized; their movements are deliberate; their attention is laser focused on a specific result. Now think about elite marathon runners with their shoelaces untied. It’s just a small detail, but they are distracted, uncertain, and concerned about falling. With divided attention, the end result is a weaker performance.
The same is true in business. A leader may understand the most advanced concepts in business, but if he runs around with his shoelaces untied, he’s so busy worrying about staying upright that he can’t move forward very quickly or confidently. And to make matters worse, the rest of the company starts behaving the same way.
Every incomplete task, unresolved conflict, ongoing frustration, and distraction in your day will compromise your long-term ability to make decisions and take action. The more distractions you have in your mind and your environment, the less ability you have to focus, and the lower your functional IQ seems to be. Distracted people get lost in “monkey mind,” mentally jumping around but not going anywhere. To strengthen your ability to make things happen, you must continually clear out the distractions with permanent solutions. Along the way, you recover and reinvest the time, energy and attention that was being wasted on loose ends and distractions.
For example, one of our clients was distracted by his credit card bill. He paid it in full each month to ensure he wouldn’t pay interest, but with so much on his plate, he occasionally missed the due date. This was costing him time (to call the company and renegotiate his interest charges), money (in late fees) and worst of all, brain space (worrying about meeting the due date each month). Once he committed to minimizing distractions, he arranged to make payments via automatic withdrawal – a permanent way to free up more of his attention. This is a simple little example, but when you have 100 of these little distractions, it adds up to a massive amount of energy.
An elite athlete knows their own personal recipe for high-energy success. So does an effective business leader. When a person commits to keeping their edge, they figure out what energizes them (rest, exercise, nutrition, pace, type of work, etc.) and they set up their schedule and environment to support that. For example, Bill Gates carves a week of solitude into his schedule every year so he can focus his undivided attention on his company’s edge. He knows that without this “Think Week,” he’s headed for less-than-stellar results. When people follow their own recipe for superior performance, they effectively double their functional IQ and emotional intelligence. They increase their ability to focus, make decisions and follow through – and they enjoy life a lot more.
This fact was highlighted in a recent survey we conducted of 100 entrepreneurs in Vancouver, B.C. (“Thriving in a Hot Economy,” published in the Vancouver Sun on October 27, 2006). Divided into a “thriving” group and a “consumed” group, the entrepreneurs who were generally thriving indicated a higher commitment to exercise, time off and life balance. In fact, 87 percent of respondents indicated a probable or certain relationship between regular exercise and their ability to run their company, and 43 percent credited vacations and time off for their ability to deal with challenges. Thriving leaders were more than twice as likely to recognize the beneficial impact of downtime. Those who knew and honored their own recipe for high-energy performance generally reported stronger businesses, better health and happier lives.
When a leader clears out the distractions and commits to staying energized, they create sustainable momentum. If they do one without the other, the benefits gradually subside and they fall back into a state of drained distraction.
The Leader’s Edge concept applies to both business and the personal realm. And, when people apply this process to one area of life, it inevitably carries over to other areas. For example:
An exhausted, burnt-out business leader usually shows up as a lackluster family leader as well, but when he commits to reclaiming his edge and his enthusiasm, his entire life will benefit. Relationships improve; health improves; mental and emotional states improve.
A clear commitment to moving through obstacles in one’s personal life always improves the quality of a person’s work.
One of our clients, let’s call him Charlie, is living proof of this interplay between an entrepreneur’s business and personal life. After 15 years in business, Charlie had a remarkably successful company – that relied completely on him. Buried in administrative tasks, he was overwhelmed and exhausted, and spending almost none of his time doing what he really wanted: building the business. The only time he spent on new ideas was when he woke up with one in the middle of the night. His business was consuming his passion and becoming a massive energy drain.
To make matters worse, as his business had grown so had his family life. Instead of spending weekends with his wife and kids, his home time was consumed by maintenance and responsibilities. With so many demands on his time, he never got around to the outdoor adventures, music and charity work that he loved so much.
Charlie wasn’t enjoying his work or his personal time. He was intensely frustrated and everything felt like a struggle. How could this not show up in his leadership, his attitude and his interactions with everyone around him?
When he got clear on what he REALLY wanted to be doing at work and in his off time, Charlie started outsourcing tasks and chores. For the next several months, he delegated everything he didn’t want to handle and focused on sharpening his edge. Soon he was ready to take on much bigger obstacles.
When a person is clear and committed to what they want in their personal life and what they want in business, they set up their life so the business fuels a certain lifestyle which in turn helps them maintain a sharp edge. It’s a self-sustaining, perpetually-improving way of life. This is the real point of the Leader’s Edge process
STEP 3: Identify and slash through the core obstacles.
In every company, there might be 100 things that call for the leader’s attention. Of those 100 actionable points, some are optional, some are important, some are critical, and some are lynch pins – pivotal issues that influence several outcomes. The most effective leaders know how to zero in on those pivotal issues, one at a time, and resolve them completely.
It may be common sense to tackle one pivotal issue one at a time and resolve it completely, but the fact is, most people don’t operate this way. In every company we’ve ever worked with, there are a significant number of pivotal issues that have been avoided. Common examples include a leader who stopped leading; a dramatically underperforming employee; overdue accounts receivable causing cash-flow problems; and departments that conflict instead of cooperate.
Operating a company while ignoring pivotal issues is like being in a rowboat with a hole in the bottom. Everyone knows about the hole, and that the crew is wasting time and energy by bailing water, but the situation has been tolerated for so long that it becomes transparent. Bailing just becomes part of being in the boat.
Why does this phenomenon develop? Because the leader of the company has lost his or her edge. Unless the leader is clear enough to see the problem and energized enough to tackle it, distractions and smaller issues will consume his or her attention and there won’t be anything left for the big issues.
When the leader sharpens their edge, they stop tolerating pivotal issues and commit to resolving them – permanently. Then they reach beyond the pivotal issues and make sure the other 99 issues are promptly addressed as well.
With each breakthrough, the leader and the company both experience a surge of confidence, energy and momentum. That momentum can propel the group and/or leader into conquering the next pivotal obstacle. Once this process starts, it actually fuels itself and generates a shocking amount of progress in a surprisingly short time.
But these results are an impossible reach if the leader isn’t clear and energized. Without their edge, people just don’t have the energy, time, resources or commitment to conquer.
“Steve,” another one of our clients, is a perfect example of this phenomenon. After several years of impressive growth, his business became a torturous experience. In fact, he hated it so much that he was ready to walk away. On a scale of 1 to 10, his life was at a 2. Why? Well, his employees were in conflict and completely unreliable; he didn’t like the tasks that consumed his time; and he wasn’t taking care of himself. He and his company had completely lost their edge, and he was so drained that he couldn’t see a way back.
With consistent coaching, he was able to clear out a huge number of distractions and get re-energized. Once he was clear and strong enough, he could see the pivotal problem in his company: a general manager with low standards. When he replaced this manager, the entire company sighed with relief – but in his earlier state, he couldn’t even see the problem (or he didn’t want to because he lacked the energy to deal with it).
Before we start working with them, our clients often look like victims of their own success – their quickly-growing company takes way too much out of its leader. If they continue on that trajectory, it’s only a matter of time before they get in the way of the company, slow down its growth, or bail out. As entrepreneurs’ business coaches, we help them set up the business in a way that suits them so they can be an energized and decisive leader, and grow with the company as it moves ahead instead of feeling dominated and wanting to escape.
When leaders have their edge, they can’t wait to do business.
STEP 4: Go back and reconnect with what you REALLY want.
Once a leader is in touch with what they really want, they’ve taken steps to sharpen their edge, and they’ve slashed through some core obstacles, it’s time to return to step 1: commit to what you really want.
Often, when someone comes back to step 1, they find that what they really want has changed. With more clarity and energy, more momentum and more belief in what’s possible, they often dream bigger – or different.
By staying in close touch with the ideals you are creating, the goal compels you to keep moving, to tackle the next batch of loose ends and take out another core obstacle.
If you lose touch with that ultimate goal, you lose the fire and drive to keep moving. To generate extraordinary results, stay inspired by the things that truly, deeply motivate you. What would make you jump out of bed in the morning? Think about, feel it, reach for it... and it will take you to the Leader’s Edge.
Action Points
To experience the direct impact of this process, set aside some quiet, focused time to make three lists:
1. What do you really, REALLY want? What is your big, hairy, audacious goal? What do you really want but hesitate to admit because it’s uncomfortable or seemingly impossible?
2. What will sharpen your edge? List the distractions and situations that currently drain your mental and physical energy: incomplete things, tolerations, distractions and lingering decisions. These are the factors to eliminate. Then list the things that energize you: tasks, relationships, environmental factors, schedules, etc. These are the factors you aim to increase.
3. What is the single most important thing you could do that would help you leap ahead toward what you want? Come up with a commitment for what you’ll do in the next 30 days to sharpen your edge and conquer obstacles. Which pieces would clear the way for you to experience what you want?
After your initial brainstorm, keep these lists accessible so you can see them often and easily add to them. This process of moving the information from your mind to paper is critical to getting clear – and once you’re clear, it’s much easier to take action.
Of course, there is one secret ingredient to this entire process: commitment. Nothing changes until you commit to a certain result, a certain way of being. Once the commitment to reclaiming the Leader’s Edge is firm, the commitment to handle loose ends and core obstacles naturally falls into place.
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This article can also be found on Kevin's website at www.coachkevin.com/f/Leaders_Edge_Article_Sept07.pdf
To read more articles by Kevin Lawrence, visit http://www.coachkevin.com/articleshome.html
About Coach Kevin
Kevin Lawrence is a business coach, speaker and agent of change, who is driven by a relentless passion for helping entrepreneurs and business leaders get what they really want, in business and life. He deeply believes that entrepreneurs can have tremendous business success along with an enriching, adventurous and fulfilling lifestyle, taking a ‘have your cake and eat it too’ mentality to an entirely new level.
With more than a decade of hands on experience as a business coach to hundreds of entrepreneurs and business leaders across Canada and the United States, Kevin is an expert at helping clients overcome major obstacles, deal with tough decisions and capitalize on new opportunities to achieve breakthrough results. His strategies, style and savvy approach have helped his clients increase revenue, profitability and productivity; build higher caliber teams; attract ideal (and eliminate headache) clients; and, reduce stress levels and hours worked so that they are freed up to live their personal version of outrageous quality of life.
For more information, visit www.CoachKevin.com or call 1-877-564-6224
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