14/11/2011
By Robert Craven, MD of The Directors' Centre
A Mastermind Recipe:
- Take six business people (three men, three women).
- Lock them away for two solid days. With me.
- Show them how to healthcheck their businesses, define and set their personal, career and business goals.
- Get them to bring their key issues to the table.
This is a recipe for a high octane mix of:
- results-focused decision-making,
- breaking self-limiting beliefs and
- creating the focus and drive that so many of us seek.
Chatham House Rules apply at such events. Names and identities will always be disguised to protect the innocent! However, I can tell you that we had a vivacious mix of industries represented: media, e-learning, auctions, fitness, financial services and events.
The original issues were clearly defined as ‘GROWTH’ or ‘survival and growth’ and this manifested itself in many different ways.
At the heart of every conversation was an obsession with ‘deliverables’ and the actions required to achieve those results.
By results we meant increased profitability, better sales, and a better work-life balance. The subjects tackled were diverse and varied but the intensity and passion were second-to-none:
- How to really make our clients feel loved-up!
- How to create an out-sourced business model
- How to introduce crowd-sourcing as an idea-generator
- How to scale-up fast
- How to switch director roles so that people do what they are best at
- How to create/hit challenging sales/profit targets
- How to put in place/create a scorecard process for highly effective monthly board meetings
Everyone left tired but invigorated to take on the exciting challenges that lay ahead. All condensed into three succinct action points to work on first thing Monday morning.
What is clear is that the formula works:
The right group of individuals
+
The right leader with the right knowledge/skills/attitude
+
An action orientation
+
Honesty, not politeness
+
Respect and the right chemistry
+
Accountability to deliver
=
Massive results for all the individuals concerned
Robert Craven's new book, Grow Your Service Firm, is soon to be published. To see more about the book and to get your own pre-signed and pre-publication copy, go to www.robert-craven.com
Join us on
Follow @freshbusiness
