Did You Yell At Them?

…and now feel bad? I remember the first time I did it. Now, in all fairness, it was totally justified. The egregious errors that were made that awful day were incredible. There was no way around that it was a major fuck up, that could have been avoided. It should have been avoided. This went deeper than mistake. It was an all out lack of obedience and follow through. Later too learn that was my problem in the first place, but I will get into that later. The anger rose so fast, I didn’t even realize the person I had become. It was ugly…..and I didn’t know another way to express the impact the situation had on me, the business, nonetheless my pocketbook. I definitely didn’t want to get labeled what I did that day. It has taken years to break that curse. What I understand now, that I didn’t know then, is management is about me, not them.

What Is A Sharing Economy?

Being a child of the 80’s, I grew up with images of big companies, doing big things. Panty hose was still a thing, along with the JC Penny three-piece suit. Samsonite briefcases were all the rage. Corporations ridden with layers of low, middle and upper management became the corporate ladder of choice for many young professionals. Complicated workflow models were created to allow for more people to enter a business than what was usually needed. Big organizational charts were challenged by big hair. Aahh..the 80’s.

The Digital Nomad

In the past, some may have called me a gypsy, a roamer, a rambling rose. Yet, with where all the roads may lead me, I don’t think the grass is any greener or the wine any sweeter, than my home away from home.

Leadership Focus, LeadershipRachel ClarkNovember 16, 2019Digital Nomad, entrepreneaur, leadership, technology

What Are Systems?

I find myself in yet another systems conversation. I probably talk about systems as much as I do my kids. People talk to me about systems all day long, such as the conversation I find myself in right now. This clients story is no different than anyone else’s, yet with such similarities, I smile, that in some way, all entrepreneurs are plagued with the same challenges. “You really mean I have to document all of that? Shouldn’t they just know how to do that. Especially when I tell them when they are hired?”

ManagementRachel ClarkAugust 26, 2019business systems, management, leadership, organization, business success, business help, entrepreneaurComment

What to Do, When You Don't Know What to Do

It was the middle of the day. I had one of those rare, meeting free days, where essentially I could do what I want, when I wanted. I had a list of to-do’s; related to this day and beyond that I had to choose from. I couldn’t find the clarity to do anything. Mind you it wasn’t avoidance or motivation; which I know plagues many other people out their. It truly was having a deep sense of organization, that made those precious hours the most impactful they could be. Luckily, I knew what to do.

Do You BYOD?

I had looked forward to attending this workshop all year. It usually sells out. I know. I have been on the waiting list far too long. My invitation was finally here, crisp and ready to be replied to. As I scrolled over all the usual mumbo jumbo, an acronym scrolled across the bottom that stopped me, BYOD. With the continual degradation of traditional acronyms, this could mean anything. When in doubt, Google it. In 30 seconds I had my answer.

Confident Leadership

As I listen to my client, I am struck by his intelligence. It is honest, self generated, Ivy League school supported, experience worthy intelligence. It is a type of intelligence I will never hold; much of it relates to his industry and service offerings that are highly niched, degree driven and detailed orientated.

Disclaimer: I have my own intelligence; also degree, experience and organized driven.

Do You Have A Business Resume?

I have an incessant habit of cleaning before the New Year. I can’t stand bringing junk and disorganization into something that feels to fresh, clean and opportunistic as a New Year. Being off for a few days over the November holiday, allowed me to start digging through piles, filing the trash bin and finding old memories. What a good feeling it is to purge the stuff I don’t need and reconnect with my past memories. This year, I came across something I hadn’t seen in many years; my resume.

Are You Prepared For A Natural Disaster?

I remember getting the email like it was yesterday. The neighbor emailed me, “YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE. CALL ME.” As I made the dreaded call, I got the news that no home owner wants to hear. Your rental house is on fire and the neighbors called the fire department. My husband left immediately, for what seemed like, the longest 2.5 hours ever. Waiting to hear what became of my beloved house, the one we brought home our first born to, the one I started my business in, the one that allowed us to move to our dream property on the coast, was the longest 2.5 hours of my life. When my husband called, it wasn’t to lament over the fact that the tenants blew up and then burnt down the garage. No, his words were much simpler; Do we have our papers in order?

Why Are People So Bad At Follow Through?

After countless days of wondering, I finally do it. I finally garner the courage to follow up with an associate who hasn’t responded to me in 4 days. Yep, four days..which in my world is a lifetime. During that time, I have thought of her on five different occasions, pushed back our project by 3 days and halted another one coming in, unsure of what direction she wanted to take our work. I have side tracked other work and painfully watched my email, waiting….and waiting……and waiting. All she has to do is respond, answer a simple question about next steps and send it off to me. Did she get the email? Did she forget about me? Did she push send and the internet trolls ran off with my email? No one really knows, because she didn’t follow up.

Do You Work Hard Enough?

What do I do? Do I succumb to the shiny object in front of me? A day of being unplugged? To forgo the accountability and tasks, meetings and outreach that was all scheduled, so strategically might I add, on this day? It would be disastrous to my business goals. I would be behind, by January 5th.

Are You a Paranoid Leader?

Living with paranoia is crippling. Just ask my client Bob. When Bob came to me he was so paralyzed by his paranoia, that making day to day decisions created so much anxiety and fear that the business was stalling out. Marketing initiatives were not being made, hiring new employees was lagging to the point that client orders were being delayed and even deciding when to schedule a management meeting took so much time, they never happened. Employees were tip toeing around him, to try and push work forward, in fear that if Bob had to intervene, everything would come to a halt.

Are You My Mother?

My hope is my kids know that I am their mother and the rules, love and our family culture is one that they want. However it makes you wonder about the way we are with our employees as well. Could showing up different every time your employees go looking for you, just like the little bird experienced when trying to find his mother, create distrust? Could your employees disloyalty and sluggish behavior be your fault?

Leading employees is a role, that when absent, will show up in low productivity, loyalty and growth. What do those signs really look like?

Goals: Setting and Achieving Them

I just crossed a big one off the 2017 goal list and I will not deny, it feels good. It took months of hard work, planning, organizing and perseverance, but in the end it was worth it. While it had nothing to do with Synergy Business Coaching, in some ways it had everything to do with it. Training and running for the Mendocino Trail 50K(That is 31 miles for you Americans) taught me that life is work and work is life.

Are Your Customers on Information Overload?

Last week I opened my email, for the fourth time that day and found 6 newsletters in it. A few from current clients, one from a past and various reach outs from companies I have possibly given way to much money to over time. With the limited amount of time I have, I found myself naturally prioritizing what I needed to read, wanted and would never even open. Each week, I find myself doing this more and more and wonder, can there be too much information?

Those Seemingly Innocent Flaws

Everything was good until, someone asked something so random, I wasn’t even sure they had been sitting through the session the entire time. They pressed me for an answer and I wanted to help. But I wasn’t sure how. I began to sweat and my responses began to ramble a mile a minute. Oh crap. My worst nightmare was becoming a reality at 11:30 in the morning. One of my flaws was being exposed and I couldn’t do anything about it.

Do You Have A Happy Dance?

Most people are challenged to celebrate their wins. In business we are trained to work hard, do our jobs, keep our heads down and clock in and out on time. We have become so trained to do, we have forgotten to be…and being is what life is all about.

Saying NO!

One day about 6 years ago I decided to start saying no. Sometimes I wonder if it was some subconscious preparation for children or maybe I was doing what I saw all my mentors do. Either way, I did it. I said no…..and I did it again and again and again.

What Does Your Budget Say?

Creating and managing a budget might be one of my most favorite business activities as an owner. The boxes and lines, control and excitement, strategy and repeated actions allows my mind to “zen out”. It must be an entrepreneurs “meditation”. But it doesn’t end after building it. Taking this same system and implementing it via the decisions I make, the strategies I implement, the people I hire and fire completes the perfection this system has become.

5 Common Financial Mistakes And How To Fix Them

Business finances can be scary. Whether you are running formal financial reports like income statements, budgets, and balance sheets or doing nothing at all; if you don’t know what you are doing, you are probably making common financial mistakes that are hurting you.

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