LEARN THESE 3 BUSINESS SKILLS TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS
Business skills are the foundation of every lasting, profitable business.
Whatever stage of business you are in, whether you are in the initial phases of entrepreneurship or a seasoned CEO, you need to work on, enhance and develop the right business skills every single day.
Think of yourself as a professional athlete. You know, a professional business athlete.
In the same way a professional football player practices drills, plays and passes, over and over again, no matter how talented and skilled he is, a professional business athlete needs to practice his/her business skills.
In my experience of working with CEOs and business leaders, the following three skills are essential to business growth and performance:
First Skill: Strategic thinking
What is strategic thinking and why is it important?
In it’s simplest form, strategic thinking is your ability to bring your vision to life.
It is a fundamental skill required for business leaders and entrepreneurs.
Luckily, like all skills, it can be learned.
The three keys to developing strategic thinking are:
🔑 Ask questions: never be afraid to ask the hard questions to your colleagues, your clients, your service providers. You need to know what is going on around you.
🔑 Understand alignement: how are you going to align your values, your vision and your mission with your products/services.
🔑 Make time to…think!: too often we get caught up in our day to day tasks. But to develop a thinking skill, you need to take the time to think and brainstorm ideas.
Start implementing these three keys in your daily life and see how your way of thinking evolves.
You will inevitably generate more ideas, be more attuned to the world around you and will be able to identify opportunities and areas of growth more easily.
And that all translates to business growth.
Second Skill: Time management
One very early morning, I went down to the hotel lobby for a perfect cup of arabic coffee.
It was 5am, UAE time.
As I sat there, I noticed someone to my left, deep in thought, jotting things down in an notepad.
I must have been staring for longer then I thought (I guess I never learned not to stare at strangers!) as the person looked up at me he said: I’m managing my time.
Throughout the years, I’ve learned that the most proficient business leaders are very good at many things but mostly, they are very good at managing their time.
In contrast, those struggling in business often lack that skill. They operate from urgency, not management.
So how do you manage your time?
🔑 Schedule 50/10 work sessions:
Work with intense focus and clarity for 50 minutes then break for 10.
To do this, it’s best to have a timer on.
During those 10 mins, get up and move: do jumping jacks, run in place, stretch. Get your blood flowing.
🔑Before you sit down for you 50 minutes blitz, determine your desired outcome:
It’s not enough to know what your goals are for the week or even for the day.
Before you sit down to focus and work, know what your desired outcome is.
It is to answer 50 emails, to read an business related article, to return 10 phone calls.
What do you wish to accomplish in those 50 minutes?
Be realistic with your goals considering the time you have.
If you have 50 phone calls to return, you can use 3 rounds of 50 minutes.
The important thing is to set a goal and keep your focus on it.
🔑Black out distractions:
For the following 50 minutes, put your phone on airplane mode, close apps you don’t need, have “do not disturb” on your phone.
Remember the goal you set for yourself for those 50 minutes?
That’s the only thing you should focus on.
When your 50 minutes are up, you can remove the airplane mode, surf social media, return a personal phone call…
Unless it’s an emergency, everything else can wait 50 minutes.
Third Skill: Resilience
If you to pick one trait, one skill that differentiates entrepreneurs, CEOs and business leaders from anyone else, what would it be?
Resilience!
Resilience is what differentiates them from the rest.
Why?
Because resilience is what keeps them going in the face of rejection.
Resilience is what allows them to take the rejection, time after time after time.
Resilience is what prevents them from giving up when the progress is slow and the stress level is high.
Being resilient doesn’t mean you won’t experience difficulty or distress.
It means you’ll know how to deal with it.
Since resilience is a skill, it can be learned:
🔑 Ground yourself in your values, your vision and your mission. (Learn how to clarify your values, vision and mission HERE.)
🔑 Prioritize relationships that foster learning and growth
🔑 Develop a growth mindset
As you start to implement these 3 skills, keep track of your progress.
With time and practice, you’ll notice a huge difference, not only in yourself as a person, but also in your business.
DO YOU NEED HELP GETTING STARTED?
CLICK BELOW TO SCHEDULE A FREE 30-MINUTE BUSINESS GROWTH CALL.
During your Business Growth Call, we will look at the hidden growth opportunities in your business and find out what you need to start doing (and STOP doing) to align your business and create the impact that you are here to create.
If you’re curious about how we can work together to get very clear on your business and grow your revenue, send me an email at eloise@eloisegagnon.com
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