What it takes to succeed in 2017
After being involved on a global scale in sales training, professional development and franchising for over 20 years, and logging 10,000+ hours of coaching and training, Andrew Phillips knows a thing or two about motivating forward-thinking entrepreneurs to achieve their goals.
I have been very fortunate to work closely with business leader Brian Tracy, who is the foremost expert today on the psychology of success and the ways to maximise your potential. The author of 84 books, he addresses audiences of 250,000 worldwide every year, presenting to over 5 million people across 80 countries. In a great tick of approval, Tony Robbins even says he was inspired by Brian Tracy.
Why some succeed and others don’t
I often talk with Brian about why some individuals or business owners are more successful than others. Why is it that some people are happier, more satisfied in their careers and relationships, have nicer homes, take frequent holidays and overall enjoy a great life? And others, not so much!
In a nutshell, the secret to this success is attitude. Skills and knowledge are important but studies have shown that attitudinal attributes count for 85% of a person’s success. This means that the way we think and how we react to our circumstances—our response-ability—is essential. This key component is often a missing ingredient in leadership training or coaching for staff and business owners.
The training challenge in the Australian business sector In Australia, one critical reason that businesses fail or never reach their potential is that historically, governments and employers have placed too much emphasis on training staff in the areas of skills and knowledge. In the past 10 years, I have spoken to many business owners who have told me that the vocational education sector has not delivered on their promises for the business. The organisations that have received funding to conduct the training have not provided
the essential ingredient. They did not offer attitudinal training to the staff and managers and as a result, the employers did not receive the expected return on investment.
There is no point in filling an employee’s head with knowledge and skills if their attitude is all wrong—they will never sustainably deploy the information! Therefore, this type of training (skills with no focus on attitude) is often a waste of time and money. As evidence, the government has shut down over 3000 sponsored vocational training programs in recent years.
Employees need to know their ‘why’
Business owners and staff need to know why they are coming to work or getting out of bed each day. This key component comes ahead of practical capabilities and certificates. Having a passion for what you do may be easier said than done. If you can achieve this, however, it is a potent elixir for long-term success. We may take many roads on the career journey to find it or it may be like the situation Earl Nightingale recounted in the story ‘Acres of Diamonds’ and what you are looking for may be at your feet right now. If
you are not yet familiar with this tale, I encourage you to read it. I agree with the saying that ‘opportunity often comes dressed up in
work clothes.’ So always be looking for the diamonds!
A real-life ‘diamond miner’
An example of a ‘diamond miner,’ someone always looking for opportunity, is our newest franchisee in the FocalPoint business, Mike Ribot. He happened to pick up a magazine (Franchise Buyer, in fact!) while staying at a hotel in Canberra. The article on FocalPoint caught his attention and led him to purchase a business coaching and training franchise.
In 1999, Mike co-founded Global Orthopaedic Technology with a vision to create an Australian orthopaedic company which would provide a vehicle for Australian surgeons to design and commercialise orthopaedic implants. The company grew to 60 staff, an
annual revenue of $27 million, and is the largest Australian-owned orthopaedic implant designer and manufacturer. After successfully growing the company, Mike sold his share and found a new way to pursue his passion of mentoring others.
An experienced entrepreneur, Mike will be the first to tell you that the path to growing a business is not all ‘beer and skittles.’ Through his journey, he learned that coaching others is what gives him the most satisfaction. Mike enjoys helping individuals and business owners to succeed. To grow an organisation, develop a high-performing team and then exit with respect and life-changing profit, is the dream of every entrepreneur. Mike will now make a big impact on the companies and individuals who are fortunate to gain his services in a coaching or training capacity. He can be contacted at mikeribot@bigpond.com.
The Entrepreneurs Organisation
A well-regarded organisation which helps entrepreneurs grow is the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) (www.eonetwork.org). A worldwide network of 12,000 members, EO is in 150 countries and includes 600 entrepreneurs in Australia. EO members are dedicated to life-long learning and the 360-degree perspective that focuses on the balance of business, family and personal lives which makes up the total entrepreneur. The concept of the organisation is that to be successful, it is the whole person rather than the parts that is critical to the outcome. As an entrepreneur, EO is instrumental in my business and personal success. The key to achieving your goals is to be in the company of positivethinking and like-minded people.
To find out what truly motivates you requires self-analysis and then the courage to take a risk to pursue that endeavour. Risks challenge us and bring out the best in us. Growth requires risk as well as the drive to find the diamonds in their rough state. Pursuing your passion will deliver long-term satisfaction where happiness can be defined as the pursuit of a worthy goal. So, make a goal to find your passion and then act on it, taking a calculated risk.
If you agree with me but are not sure where to start, you could even start with one of our FocalPoint coaches (of course I was always going to recommend that!). They are highly-experienced and have the tools and resources to support you in finding your passion, determining your why, and developing your staff and business. Best of all, they have absolute passion for what they do and they guarantee results.
Contact me at any time on aphillips@focalpointcoaching.com or +61 418 500 721.
