Mind Set (page 1 of 2)

Vision.
Without a clear vision a company will be like a ship without a destination, going around in circles with no direction. Whilst there are always details to be taken care of, the first priority of any company is to see the big picture.

Too often we get carried away with a vague idea of how the company will operate and rush head long into the set up, ploughing in our hard earned or borrowed cash without enough thought of the long term goal. This can lead not only to a cash flow problem (one of the main reasons why companies fail) but can also lock you into a market segment that is hard to get out of.

To truly understand what your vision is, begin by asking yourself what it is you want the company to look like in 10 years time. It's not enough simply say that you want to be successful, you must make it meaningful and measurable. For example : 'The salon has 4 fully qualified senior stylists, 6 junior stylists, a receptionist and 2 trainees. The salon is making £x amount per week, month and year and we have won 3 awards for best salon.'

To make it as real as possible imagine that you have achieved your goal right now, what will it look like, sound like and feel like and you can even add in smell and taste if that's appropriate.

Make this image as vivid as possible and what this will do is give you an idea of how it will make you feel to achieve that goal. If when you imagine achieving your goal it doesn't get you excited and fired up, then something is missing and you will never get there.

The most successful people have clear, meaningful goals that drive them continuously to achieve them, even when the road is not smooth.

So, a few tips on setting goals;
Make them S.M.A.R.T.:

S - simple and specific,

M - meaningful and measurable,

A - as if now, say in the present tense to see what it will be like, and make it achievable,

R - realistic and responsible (responsible includes what affect it will have on you, your team, the community you live in, society you live and also ecologically for the planet), and

T - Timed and Towards, this means give yourself a reasonable time scale to achieve it and be focused on achieving that goal rather than worrying about what might happen if you don't.

With the big picture in place any subsequent decisions will be easier to make as the question will be 'Is this in line with the ultimate goal?' This has the effect of cutting out unnecessary and time wasting tasks that eat up company resources and time.

Once you have your vision and goal, work backwards to see where you need to start in order to achieve it. It's no good saying it will all sort itself out. If YOU are not in control of your company then somebody else will be!

Values.
Values are what motivate us to do what we do, when we do it and how well we do it. Most of us are unaware of our values that operate within us at a deep unconscious level that we will have learnt from our families, society, media and so on.

If company employees, typically top and middle managers, do not have values that are aligned with company values there will be a conflict. This is not only a waste of company time but may also be stressful for the employee leading to more absenteeism, dissatisfaction and less productivity.

By understanding that it is possible to have clear company values and to align your employees' values to them, the effect is of all horses pulling in the same direction.