7 Ways Leaders Can Achieve Big Wins

Leaders should reflect on their businesses monthly, quarterly and annually, looking at what did and didn't work. It's the only way to keep pushing the needle forward and grow.

And while every company's challenges are unique, there are a few things all leaders can do to ensure they see bigger wins in the upcoming year. 

1. Develop backwards timelines.

People focus on weekly or daily to-do lists, but they don't always look at the bigger picture. Help staff see through this lens and ask them what they want their yearly contribution to be and how will they achieve that? Whether it's helping cut costs, growing annual revenues by a certain percent or building national brand awareness, encourage them to think about the future. Then create a backwards timeline of how to get there month by month, week by week, and day by day.

2. Invest in the term 'accountability.'

Staff should hold themselves accountable and be accountable to their colleagues. Being accountable means taking ownership on a project or assignment, and taking full responsibility for any shortcomings. It encourages a more aggressive attitude towards completing a goal, because there's more purpose and passion when a promise is made to a team.     

3. Practice 'corporate grandparenting.'

This is a management and retention strategy of creating relationships with employees two levels below where someone sits in the corporate hierarchy, allowing for an open dialogue beyond direct reports. While mentorship programs operate to advance an employee's hard skillset, discussions that take part through corporate grandparenting are more about bigger picture things like corporate values and how the employee can contribute to the end goal.

4. Refill an empty organizational chart.

Business leaders need to look at a blank company organizational chart on a quarterly basis, then refill it. This doesn't always mean exiting someone from the organization but making adjustments. Consider moving employees with strong work ethics who aren't producing to a different group. If the employee is currently a revenue producer, would it make sense to put them in non-revenue producing role?  Would their energy be suitable in a different group that lacks morale? The slightest change can make the biggest difference. Also, during this reorg, think about new business opportunities. If the company were to get a flood of new business, which unit would be overwhelmed? Which team would be understaffed or lack the skills to do the job? Then, fix the problem before it happens.  

5. Conduct stay interviews.

Stay interviews are interviews conducted between a high-potential employee and their manager with the sole intent to retain employees and keep them happy and motivated. It's a performance review on the company to understand what top performers are most excited about or motivated by and what might tempt them to leave. Stay interviews help companies avoid turnover by pinpointing employee pain points before they are out the door.

6. Create a mentorship program.

A leading reason people quit companies is because they don't feel invested in. A mentorship program allows for one-on-one developmental training from tenured staff, which helps increase employee retention. It also gets new hires assimilated to their roles and to the company culture faster.

7. Commit to inspire.

Inspiration has to come from the top. The leader has to take full responsibility and accountability for how his/her staff is developing and make tough decisions when needed. Reflect on last year and consider the hard decisions that were made. How would they be handled differently if they resurfaced this year?

by Tom Gimbel, Founder and CEO of LaSalle Network

Say 'No' to These 5 Things for an Immediate Life Improvement

The word "no" gets a bad rap in the entrepreneurial community. It can feel like a selfish assault to say "no" to someone when you heavily rely on the help and support of others.

However, there’s an enlightened difference between saying "yes" and "no" that is dependent on the circumstances surrounding the request or event. Saying "no" to things can be just as important as "yes" in your growth as an entrepreneur and for the growth of your company.

How can you tell when you’re saying "yes" or "no" at the right time? Honestly, it’s all in a gut check about how the response makes you feel.

Saying "yes" to the right things makes you feel good. You get energized, pumped up, excited and eager when you’re saying "yes" to the people, places and actions that bring you closer to your vision.

If you’re saying "yes" and feeling drained, lethargic, dreading the next step or wondering why you agreed to whatever you’re about to do, you need to learn the positive effects of saying "no."

"No" sets boundaries. "No" creates more room for the “yes” stuff in your life. "No" can feel just as rewarding, positive and fulfilling as "yes" when it’s done right.

Here are five important things to say no to this year:

1. "No" to tasks you can easily outsource instead. 

Entrepreneurs consistently need more of two things: money and time. You can create more money, you can scale more income, but you can’t create more time. There will always be 24 hours in a day, no exceptions.

Since you can’t control the amount of time you have access to, focus instead on the amount of time you can leverage from others. Outsourcing is a fantastic way to keep momentum in your life and your business.

Is your time best spent cleaning? If not, hire someone to clean. Is your time best spent preparing meals or answering phone calls? You can outsource both those things. Look for all the ways and places you can say "no" to tasks that you could easily (and probably affordably!) outsource.

2. "No" to actions that don’t match your vision.

Before you say "yes" to any request, ask if it matches your vision. There are a lot of great speaking opportunities, podcast interviews, charity events, mentoring opportunities and so many more potentially limitless lists of activities and events to get involved with in your life. However, just because something is a good cause, great product or smart idea, doesn’t mean it’s intuitively the right fit for your vision.

Say "no" to actions or events that don’t match your vision. Remember, you need to leverage your time because you can’t create more, so say "no" to things that don’t contribute directly to your best version of your vision.

3. "No" to things that distract and destroy your time.

We’re already back to talking about time! Time is your most precious resource, so why let any activity distract or destroy that? This is about setting boundaries with others, regardless of business or pleasure.

Have a friend who loves to gossip? You don’t have time for that anymore. Either say "no" to that conversation or don’t answer the phone. Do you have staff members who are prone to long stories or talks of sports scores? Decide carefully whether those activities enhance your time or kill it. Friends want you to go to Happy Hour every Friday night? If you aren’t getting real value out of those interactions then it’s time to let them go.

Say "no" to the things that don’t make you better and that waste your time.  

4. "No" to things that aren’t healthy for your mind and body.

You don’t have time to be sick or feel sluggish. You just don’t. Take your health and well-being very seriously, because right up there with time is your health so you can enjoy your time and your business.

You know the saying, garbage in, garbage out? Make sure you’re saying "no" to any garbage you’re putting into your mind and body. "No" to negativity. "No" to fake, bad food. "No" to lethargy. Just say "no" to the thoughts, activities and fuel that isn’t good for you. Fuel yourself with the right no’s to stay healthy.

5. "No" to things that aren’t up to you or in your control.

There are things in this life that are inevitably out of your control -- lots of them, actually. So you have a choice. You can fret and freak out about things such as the government, the economy, your partner, the weather or any other variable outside your power, or you can chose to say "no" to the stress that comes from getting upset about things you can’t control.

This isn’t about giving up, it’s about knowing you’re going to get through whatever storms may come. Frankly, giving in to worry or the illusion you can control the outcome only creates stress and wastes time.

Say "no" to the belief that you can always be in complete control. Say "no" to the undue stress that comes from trying to change outcomes that aren’t up to you.

by Matthew Toren, Serial Entrepreneur, Mentor and co-founder of YoungEntrepreneur.cc.

8 Daily Habits That Will Make 2015 Explosive

The new year is here and most entrepreneurs are looking at how they will raise their game in 2015. Many of you may want to ramp up your personal development and productivity to a whole new level to reach some major goals.

When it comes to finding success and achieving your goals, many times the most important struggle is the one that you encounter in mundane daily life. To truly find success in your life, it is important that you take the time to do the little things that matter most. Small changes to your daily routine can translate into monumental success in all of your endeavors.

Here are eight things that you should be doing, if you aren’t already, habitually.

1. Get up early

Getting up early is about more than just getting up on time. When you get up early, before most people, you have a quiet and relaxing time to get things done. Imagine being able to sit down and go through emails or handle daily tasks without your message notification buzzing or your phone going off. By getting up early, you are not only giving yourself some extra time in the morning, but you are giving yourself some extra valuable time that will allow you to get even more done.

2. Read

You should be reading every single day. Never let a day go by that you don’t grow in some area of your life. This doesn’t necessarily mean crushing an entire novel in a few hours, but put aside a little time to read, preferably 20 to 30 minutes. When you read you help stimulate your thought processes, and may be surprised by the ideas that you come up with. Reading things such as magazines or newspapers can also help you stay abreast of the world around you, a trait that can only be helpful, no matter what industry you work in.

3. Exercise

Even if it is just for 30 minutes, it is important to start exercising daily. Exercise can help release endorphins that can naturally boost your mood and your energy levels. Not only will you feel happier and more energized but those who work out regularly report lower levels of stress.

4. Practice gratitude

This can be a hard one for some people and it’s something that unfortunately many of us need to consciously practice. When our lives get consumed with work and personal demands it can be hard to remember to show gratitude to those that we interact with. Try to make a conscious effort to practice this. As it starts to become more natural, you will be surprised by how many doors open and how many new relationship you can form by showing sincere gratitude to those around you.

5. Schedule your day before it starts

Having a set schedule is a powerful tool when it comes to making the most of your day and being as productive as possible. To have the biggest impact with your time, try making your schedule the day before. This way the moment you wake up you will know just what is ahead.

6. Focus on high-priority tasks first

Many people actually often put their high-priority tasks on the backburner and end up saving them until the last minute. This may be because the task is daunting, or because they think they will have more time to dedicate to the endeavor. No matter what the reasoning is, challenge yourself by starting with focusing on your high-priority task. Get it done first and then focus on smaller things. After being in the mindset of tackling a high-priority project, your less demanding tasks will be easier to complete. It's a small change but one that can improve your effectiveness drastically.

7. Always go the extra mile

Do a few extra (meaningful) tasks every day that go beyond what your actual requirements are. This can mean just a few extra sales calls beyond your quota, or working for an extra 30 minutes before shutting down. By putting in a little more effort than required you can start getting the attention of your superiors or clients, get more done during the workday and feel a new energizing sense of motivation and satisfaction.

8. Improve in one area each day

This area can be something small or large and it can be in your personal or professional life, but make it a goal to improve in one area of your life every day. This can be improving your jogging speed while you work out, getting more emails done in a certain time period or improving on your elevator pitch.

No matter what it is, take the time to really try to improve one small thing, and before you know it the improvements in your personal and professional life will surprise you.

by Timothy Sykes

Increase Your Conversion Rates with These 7 Landing Page Must Have's

A massive pay-per-click and SEO budget can deliver high-quality traffic to your website, but if you are sending that traffic to poorly optimized landing pages you are essentially throwing your money down the drain. If you want to convert more of your traffic into leads, sales and revenue make sure that your landing pages feature the following seven elements:

1. Attention-grabbing headline

If your landing page headline doesn’t grab instant attention, you risk losing a potential conversion in mere seconds. A great headline gives the visitor a quick overview of your offer and gives them a reason to stay on the page. Make sure it grabs attention and it is clear -- and don’t be afraid to test several headlines to see what your audience responds to the best

For instance, split-test a statement headline against a question-asking headline and see what performs better.

2. Visually-appealing design

Your landing page must look great if you want to attract conversions. A sloppy “thrown together” looking landing page isn’t going to inspire trust. Also, avoid using readily available templates. Consumers come in contact with these templates all the time and they all begin to look the same. You need to differentiate yourself from all of the other offers out there.

If you are going to spend money to push traffic to your landing page then invest some of your budget into the design.

3. Strong call to action

An effective CTA (call to action) commands attention and encourages the visitor to complete the action, whether it is a purchase, placing a phone call or completing a form. To increase your conversion rate, you are going to need to create very effective CTAs. So many people will throw together a CTA and sit back and wonder why the conversion rates are sub-par. Invest time and energy into developing CTAs that help you reach your conversion goals.

4. One clear offer

I will often see landing pages that offer a free trial or consultation as well as a downloadable ebook. You want to avoid doing this as it just confuses the visitor. If you want to test multiple offers that is fine, just split-test multiple landing pages each featuring one offer. 

A single clear offer makes the entire process much smoother. For example, if you are running a pay-per-click campaign, your ad copy, landing page copy and offer should all be relevant. If a consumer clicks on your ad and then hits your landing page that has two offers it can cause a major hiccup in the conversion process.

5. Badges of trust and credibility

The average consumer is marketed to around the clock. Everywhere they look they see advertisements that claim to offer the best product or service. They are naturally skeptical, so make sure to include information on your landing page that builds trust and displays credibility.

Include badges of trust, such as the Better Business Bureau or industry-specific accreditations. Testimonials and media outlets that have covered your brand can also help to establish a level of trust and credibility.

6. Goal-specific form

You will often hear people say that “less form fields are always better,” but this isn’t necessarily the case all of the time. If you are just creating an email list, then yes, you can get away with just asking for a name and email address. If you are trying to generate a lead for your business then you need to worry about collecting the information that will create a high-quality lead rather than worrying about how many form fields you have.

If a high-quality lead for your business means you need a name, email address, phone number and a few other specific pieces of information, then don’t be afraid to require it. Determine what information you need and ask for it.

7. No distractions

Every single visitor that hits your landing page is a potential conversion. You want to do everything that you can to prevent distractions -- you want your visitor to focus on your call to action and nothing else. 

by Jonathan Long, Founder & CEO, Market Domination Media

The Gift of Time

The holiday season is often spent frenetically buying gifts, attending or hosting parties, and celebrating the end of one calendar year and the start of the next.

This activity is in addition to your regular work and life activities. It can be exhausting!

I think we all would be well-served by taking a close look at how we spend our time each day. Are we choosing the most effective ways to act, interact, and behave? If we slow down for a few minutes and analyze how we spend our time, we can refine our choices to serve ourselves and others better.

First, start by being intentional about you.
Create a personal constitution made up of your purpose, values, and leadership philosophy. What is your purpose, your “reason for being” on this planet? Specify what you do, for whom, and how it serves others. Map out the life values or principles that guide what is good and right in your view. Then, define your values in behavioral terms so they are observable and measurable.

Next, define your leadership philosophy. What can your team members expect of you? What do you expect of them? To what end are you leading people?

By formalizing your answers, you’ve created a “best-case scenario” that can serve as a benchmark for how you spend your time.

Second, track how well your time investments match your personal constitution.

Spend a couple of weeks noting the activities you engage in daily and how much time you spent on those activities. With an accurate map of how you spend your time, you’ll be able to assess how to tweak your activities to serve others — and yourself — better.

For example, if you value service, you might enjoy interacting with and waiting on customers. That time may inspire you, but might it make more sense to serve your internal, primary customers (your employees) well first? If your team members feel engaged, connected and valued, they’ll serve many more customers well than you can alone.

If you value relationships, you might spend time with your team members and customers but don’t spend as much time with family or friends. Being a good spouse or partner or neighbor or parent takes time, energy, and intention.

Once you map out how you spend your time, you’ll be able to assess where to make changes.

Third, refine, refine, refine.

Make slight revisions to where you spend your time so as to live aligned with the things you value. Delegate authority and responsibility to engaged, talented team members. Leave work early an afternoon a week to attend your child’s sports matches. Get enough sleep — you’re not fun nor productive when you’re sleep-deprived.

Small changes can make a big impact. Make the gift of time — your time — count by balancing your investments in the things that matter most.
What do you think? What would a time analysis show in your current work & life responsibilities? What small changes will make the most positive impact for you and your team and family?

by S. Chris Edmonds