Monthly Archive for September, 2010

The Big Question: What’s Your Final Destination?

The other day we were working with a group of business owners and we started off by thinking about why they are in business and where they want to be in 10, 20 or 30 years. More than half of the room couldn’t answer these questions.
I was pretty surprised and it dawned on me that probably a lot of people wouldn’t have an answer to these questions.

So here I am, hoping that this piece will help a few readers come up with their own roadmap to their desired destination. This is not going to be a boring instruction on goal setting. This is about the one big vision that influences your life and your daily actions.

Don’t you get excited when you think about your favourite holiday destination? I do! Now it’s time to get excited about your personal and professional destination.

You must have a vision because it will not only keep you motivated and fulfilled, it will also keep you on track in tougher times.

It’s like when you build your dream home. Your architect gives you some images on how it will look like and this image will keep you motivated throughout the countless months of hard work, dirt, big bills, wrong colours and long delays. It will also direct the actions you and your team are taking in building your house.

You vision of your professional or personal life will determine the road you travel and influence your daily actions at work and at home.

‘The road leading to a goal does not separate you from the destination; it is essentially a part of it.’  Charles DeLint
So how do you determine your vision, your big end goal?
One of the best questions to ask yourself is: What legacy do I want to leave in this world and what do I want be known as when I leave this planet?

Let me give you some practical examples.
If you are a business owner and your vision is to be known as the best provider in your market, you would make sure your products and services are top quality, your customer services is exceptional etc.

Or if you are an employee and your goal is to become CEO and you want to be known as the best leader in the world, you would start leading now, be supportive of your colleagues, invest in your professional development and learn how to become a great leader and communicator.
‘Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.’
Les Brown
Start with the end in mind.
If you have a big vision and know what really matters to you, you will not snooze your alarm clock ten times in the morning, you will jump out of bed motivated because you just can’t wait to start the day and take actions towards reaching your vision.

Share your vision with your team so that they can help you achieve it. And vice versa, knowing your team members’ goals, you will be able to support them along the way. It’s easier to row a boat with a team rather than solo, you will get to your destination faster.

To your vision,

Franziska Iseli-Hall

If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else. 
Lawrence J. Peter

What’s YOUR thing?

We’ve been in Switzerland for 3 weeks now and did a lot of things such as
snowboarding on a glacier, hiking in the beautiful Swiss mountains, swimming
in the river, visiting the German, French and Italian speaking part of the country, my brother’s wedding in an old castle, working with some of our Swiss clients, spending
time with my family and friends, eating a lot of Swiss delicacies and falling
asleep to the sound of cowbells almost every night. It’s been an amazing and unforgettable time.

I therefore thought I’d dedicate this article to the Swiss people and their unique culture.

Switzerland has managed to build a really strong and recognisable brand. This tiny country is well known for its chocolate, cheese, watches, four languages, technology and the Swiss alps.

One thing that always astonishes me when I come back here is how well Switzerland has managed to keep its culture and habits despite globalisation (I could discuss this topic for days, but I’ll spare you a big socio- political discourse here).

How has Switzerland managed to create this famous ‘brand’ and what can you learn from it for your own business and personal brand?

Taking a Stance:Switzerland is very much taking a stance in Europe (which I don’t always agree with), the country stands for something and its people know that. In your business, don’t aim to go for one size fits all, have an opinion and stand by it.

Protecting Your Brand: Think about how you can protect your brand from people that are trying to harm it. This point needs even more consideration now than before with the use of social media and the possibility for anyone to comment on your brand. The key is simply to not give anyone a reason or opportunity to leave negative comments by always giving great value.

Swiss made: Usually products that carry the label ‘Swiss made’ have the reputation of good quality. How can you create a similar association with your brand? You want your clients and prospects to know that any time they buy from you they get what they asked for or more. You can reach this ‘high quality’ status by constantly making sure the quality of your products and services is exceeding your clients’ expectations. What can you do today to improve and innovate your products and services?

Consistency: Last, but not least is the importance of consistency. Switzerland has consistently been known as the place for quality chocolate, cheese and technology and its branding hasn’t changed much. Heidi is as famous as she was many years ago and the country is safeguarding its historic and cultural legends and stories.
In your business, consistency is a must. For me, there are two kinds of consistencies in a business. Firstly, your brand has the same ‘look and feel’ across the board and is easily recognised.
Secondly, you need to consistently deliver what you promise.
Consistency evokes familiarity which leads to trust which makes it easier for your clients and prospects to work with you.

People fear making a mistake, but when they know and trust a brand, the fear is removed.
What’s your thing and how can you tell people about it?

To your success,

Franziska Iseli-Hall

Tonight I watched the inspirational story of AFL player Jim Stynes during a little rare TV time. WOW.. What an incredible man, a giving man, a fighting man, an awe inspiring husband and father who refuses to stop fighting for more time…
It’s a funny thing time because we assume we have so much of it yet most people I meet dont use it well. They watch too much television, invest too much of it watching and not playing sport, they spend loads of it wishing,hoping and waiting life could be better without demanding for themselves to be better. It’s only when time seems to be running out that we really see it as the most valuable commodity that it is.

I lost my mum when she was just 46 to Cancer but really cancer was the “dis ease” her body finally surrended too after years of not being looked after, after marking time. As a young man I wanted more time with her but of course it was not to be. It helped me realise that you can’t simply buy it back and every moment wasted is one lost – forever.

My desire to coach helps my desire to use time well by contribution, my time on weekends with my wife,family and friends helps me utilise time for love.. That great show “The bucket list” has helped thousands of people use goal setting to achieve things in their life before their “time” is up. I love the bucket list conceptbut ask when do you assign each item its “time”.

During my sessions I ask all of my clients to tell me whether they would stay in their “day job” if they didn’t have to and am always surprised and equally excited when they say No. One of the great things about time is it can be a wonderful tool for leveradge as a coach and I love sharing that I would not change a thing and continue to coach even if I “didn’t have to”.

So I guess I sit here and ask you these questions tonight as I am inspired by Jim Stynes:

1. Are you living your life on your terms or are you marking time?
2. Are you contributing with your time or are you ……
3. Do you know where you are losing time – a time budget can help with this and help you gain back all of the time you need to live your dreams

Keep making a difference,

Doc