Volume#1 / Issue #2

Greetings...

This month's newsletter focuses on achieving goals.

Quotes

"If you don't have a vision for the future, then your future is threatened to be a repeat of the past." A.R. Bernard

"No plan, no matter how detailed, survives first contact with reality. Your job is to be clear about your goal, and flexible about the process of attaining it." Brian Tracey

"Focus on where you want to go, not on what you fear." Anthony Robbins

Have A Game-Winning Road Map to Success..

How To Achieve Life Changing Goals!

You’ve set a goal. Great!
Want some proven techniques to help ensure that you achieve it?

Let's use the analogy of a road trip or journey...

First you've identified "what" the goal is. Second identify "when"
Do you see it happening within a few weeks, months or years?
The “when” and “what” will be the destination.

Now with your destination and arrival time in mind, what do you need to arrive there?

You probably would not set out on a road trip to a new destination without a road map? It's likely you would not depart on foot, with your thumb stuck out, hoping someone might be going your way, and be willing to give you a lift? Would you set out on this journey in a beat-up old jalopy? One that might break down in some barren desert—and there you are on the side of the road, hot, dusty, and thirsty hoping some kind soul will come along?

We vastly increase our potential for success if in addition to knowing our destination, we also have selected the route, packed our bags, prepped the vehicle and planned stops along the way.

• A vehicle
  
  Perhaps that translates to more education in a certain area.
  A mentor or coach who has made the journey and knows what is needed to succeed. Or we may even need to take a harder look at ourselves to see which of our internal attitudes need to be adjusted in order to make the journey.
  
• A road map
  
  The "road map" is a plan, providing both direction and a means to measure our progress. It helps get us past obstacles and over rough patches so we ultimately arrive at our destination. The "road map" is a plan.

Often people will start out (and continue) in business without the end result in mind so they really don’t know where they’re going or sometimes they don't even remember why they’re going.

It’s no wonder that 50% of all new business fail in the first year and that 85% never make it past the five-year mark. Poor planning is the major reason for this.

I don’t mean a 10-page business plan (although they are needed). What I am talking about is a brief description of your ideal outcome for your business or your vision so that you clearly understand your target.

Putting a plan in writing helps to clarify the route. Here are the few questions I use to help entrepreneurs to create a plan or a Game-Winning Road Map. There may be other questions, specific to your vision.

1. What do you want to do?
   
2. How do you want to do it?
   
3. Why do you want to do it?
   
4. Who are you doing it for?
   
5. Who will do it with you? (Employees, contractors, partners, etc.)
   
6. Where will you do it?
   
7. How long will it take? (When?)

Fully answering these questions will be beneficial to you. You may discover a new, compelling destination. Or, these exercises may even convince you that you really don't want to make this trip after all. This exercise has allowed myself and others to save a lot of time, money and frustration.

Try this tool out for yourself, even if you’re already in business.
It will help you make better decisions about your next steps, which could be: How to grow your business, what new products to sell, what resources to hire, you name it. With the clarity this exercise provides, your life will be simpler and more rewarding.

Other reasons the Game-Winning Road Map tool is useful?

• It helps you identify whether the vision, business, or idea is a compelling one for you. (Should I do this business or project or not?)
  It better be compelling for you to dedicate your life to it!
  
• Okay. You’ve decided, after creating your map, you want to venture on this particular road trip. What if you get lost—your goal seems unreachable? Or you encounter detours or roadblocks, AKA fears and doubts? As sure as the sun comes up in the morning, these will come up! Refer back to your tool, your Game-Winning Road Map, it will put you back on course.

It's important for you to be flexible and allow the actual plan to change or be adjusted along the way. What's important is that you keep moving forward toward the destination you have in mind.

....coming next issue: The Incredible Power of Beliefs

Business Tips

Keep Expanding Your Knowledge Base

To keep an edge in business it is imperative that you are continually learning. There are countless books and resources available to enrich your knowlege base. Every book should provide at least a bit of valuable information.

Here's a tip for book marking valuable information in books that you read.

I used to think that highlighting the paragraph or marking up the book for future reference would suffice. Unfortunately, I could never remember what I marked, or where to find it. Now I reference the most beneficial information by putting the page number and the subject matter on the inside cover of the book - this saves me time when trying to locate a reference.

Delivering effective Feedback to staff

I used to find it very difficult to approach staff when things were not going well, or mistakes had been made. I have found an effective way to handle it that is more comfortable for everyone involved.

I call it the "Sandwich" technique.
Begin and end the conversation on a positive note.

Begin the conversation with praise and honest appreciation.
Then call attention to the mistake or poor performance.
Ask questions instead of giving orders.
Allow the person to save face.
Offer encouragement and make the issue seem easy to correct.

New Resources

Get an informative free book "Earn Twice As Much With Half the Stress " on my website?

About Steve

Steve Kennedy is a personal coach specializing in working with entrepreneurs.
For a free 1/2 hour coaching session or to get more information directly from Steve, contact him at: steve@winningthegameofbusiness.com

Copyright (c) 2005, all rights reserved. You may copy, forward or distribute Tools for WINNING The Game Newsletter provided the copyright notice and full information for contacting Steve Kennedy are included.
You may contact Steve by email at:  steve@winningthegameofbusiness.com

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Published by:
Steve Kennedy
Danvers, MA 01923

U.S.A
978-815-0484