A recent Twitter (www.twitter.com/GrowthCoachCorp) entry I made sparked an idea for this business coaching blog. I mentioned that successful entrepreneurs take 100% responsibility for their results and won't dare tolerate excuses within their company. Is that true for you and your business? If not, here comes some tough-love business coaching.
Can you handle the truth? OK, here it comes...your business is where it is, how it is, and what it is because of YOU. As the owner, YOU are responsible for the business...all of it...the good, bad and ugly. As your virtual business coach, please own up to that fact and responsibility.
Also, please put your ego on hold and face reality. This is not about being right or wrong...it's about you getting more effective and more out of your business and life. Once you acknowledge and accept reality (the truth about what is working and what is broken in your business & life), you are then standing on solid ground, not quicksand. You can build, grow and progress on solid ground; you can only continue to sink and drown in quicksand. The choice is simply...truth today for a better tomorrow.
Ready to take full responsibility? Super! What's not working in your business? Who is not pulling their weight in your business? What needs to change and change now? What is broken and needs to be fixed? If you could change 3 things about your business right now, what would they be? How can you improve as a leader?
Successful entrepreneurs not only accept responsibility, but they don't tolerate excuses. They create a no-excuses zone around their business. Why? Because successful business owners know that excuses are those little lies we tell ourselves to feel better in the moment but that do absolutely nothing positive for us.
In fact, excuses do lots of damage. Excuses are those little comforting lies struggling owners tell themselves to justify, rationalize and explain away their poor results. Instead of taking responsibility, they spend time making excuses. Be warned...excuses will keep you a prisoner to poor results. Believing your own excuses will prevent you from making the necessary changes to pull yourself up and out of your problems. As we say at The Growth Coach, "You can either spend time making money or spend time making excuses. You can't do both. The choice is yours."
Do not fall prey to such common excuses as: our government is to blame, our industry is bad; the economy is awful; we've always done it this way; change is too tough or risky; our customers don't get it; I'm too old/too young; there is nothing we can do; things will turn around on their own; we don't have enough time or money to do that; etc. What excuses do you and your employees use on a regular basis? Do you really believe them? Have these excuses helped you in any way? Be honest, do these excuses support or sabotage your success? No doubt, they sabotage you from being more successful. Then isn't it time to kill off these excuses?
Next time you or one of your employees verbalize such an excuse, stop and ask the questions: "What's the REAL underlying problem? How are we responsible for it? What can we do about solving it?
To have greater success in your business and satisfaction in your life, learn to take 100% responsibility for your results and don't tolerate excuses, from your employees or yourself.
Daniel M. Murphy
President, Founder & Business Coach
The Growth Coach
Business Coaching Franchise System
Certified Business Coaches throughout North America