Driving back from a speaking engagement the other week, it was Friday morning, and I had a long drive ahead. The sun was shining, I had music on the CD player, and was feeling relaxed. Spring is definitely here, I thought!
Spring represents renewal, rebirth, and the start of new life, and spring cleaning your business means injecting this fresh feeling to your own operation.
It’s at this time of year we turn to Spring-cleaning… and in business it’s no different.
And I’m not just talking about clearing out a few cupboards (although, that could be part of it – certainly metaphorically!)
Just as a body finds it difficult to function with clogged arteries, and just as we feel re-energized when we spring clean, so too in our business and professional lives a “spring clean” will yield immediate results. It may be that a day dedicated to a “Business Spring clean” will energise you and your team at just the right time.
Let’s start with you…
Having a Self-Upgrade
In five steps:
1. Upgrade your appearance. This is your shop window. Is it up to scratch?
2. Upgrade the way you Act. Are you exuding confidence with every stride? As Tom Watson (founder of IBM) said: “If you want to be the best company in the world, you’ve got to act like it today, immediately.”
3. Upgrade the Words you use. Get rid of the “Weak-Speak” – so words like “try” (as in “I’ll try and do….”, or “We are trying to get more clients”), and “fine” (as in “How are you?” “Fine” – yuk, how bland!).
4. Upgrade the way you Think. Do you genuinely believe in yourself, your purpose, your company, your team, your products, and services, and the value you provide? Think successful and you’ll be successful.
And not just at a conscious level. Have you done anything about the way you subconsciously think? – because that’s where the power is. Our behaviours, actions, and level of performance (and therefore our results and the level of success we reach), are directly influenced by the images you carry round in our heads. The associations in our mind reflect like a wave through everything we do. Upgrade the images in your mind’s eye to enhance your results. With my clients, I use a series of techniques I call Visual-is-ACTIONs for this.
5. Upgrade your Environment. Yes, a genuine Spring Clean… your home, wardrobe, car, office… all create a self-image that will either support you, or work against you. Clear out the clutter.
Based on these 5 areas, make up a checklist of things to blitz in the next 5 days. Sometimes simple changes and minor upgrades can have the biggest effect.
Next up… Part 2, we’ll look at Spring Cleaning the key aspects of your business…