It can grow right along with your company–and help your company grow.

As an entrepreneur, you want to be on the lookout for the newest trends that help keep you lean and profitable. One thing you may want to consider is implementing an online network as an integral part of your business.

As a person with strong entrepreneurial spirit, you may already be running one or more businesses. You may be running each by yourself or you may have employees of varying numbers. Starting an online network within your existing businesses can be a great way to increase the profits of those businesses.

A great number of larger corporations have already discovered that opening up the gateways of communication through an internal social network has allowed them to learn more about employees, particularly their hidden talents, talents that may be tapped into as the company grows.

Interestingly, the idea of creating a proprietary social network is not just for large organizations. Today, an increasing number of small business  are embracing online networks, particularly as the workforce becomes more and more filled with employees who have spent their entire lives online.

If you own a small business, or businesses, one of the main reasons you should consider adding an online networking component is that the best time to make an online network part of your company culture is when the company is small. It can then stay in place and grow along with your company. As a small-business owner, you likely wear multiple hats and, even with your handy PDA, you may have a difficult time getting easy access to all the information you need about your employees in a single place. By using an online network you can keep track of–and have immediate access to–information about what each employee is currently working on, and what experience they have from previous positions.

Your company may have employees operating from remote locations. Setting up an internal online network will allow those employees to interact with one another–and with you–without leaving their desks, allowing for more personalization, and less isolation.

Finally, if you more than one small business, implementing an online network gives you the power to gather information across your businesses, search for the best employees for particular tasks, and establish greater collaboration between you and your employees.

Internal online networks are dynamic and allow employees to use virtually all the features they would find on Facebook, or even LinkedIn, including social networking, tagging and profiles. There are many hosted applications that cater to this market segment. Because of this, even the smallest companies have access to robust technologies at affordable prices.

Larger businesses have already jumped on the bandwagon, particularly in the last couple of years, but the time is right–and the software is here–for smaller businesses to profit from an internal online networking component as well.

When he realizes that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow; he then becomes the rightful master of himself.” —As a Man Thinketh

While reading an old classic, The Message of a Master by John McDonald, I was rocked by an incredibly insightful passage: “The cause of the confusion prevailing in your mind that weakens your thoughts is the false belief that there is a power or powers outside you greater than the power within you.”

Stop and think about that. What keeps us from attempting greater things—from reaching for the brass ring in our life? What makes us take that great idea that could make our family financially free and bury it underneath a lot of reasons why it’d never work? What stops us from that career change that would result in working in a profession we could really enjoy, and could get passionate about?

There’s only one thing that EVER stops us from forward momentum and McDonald nailed it: “The false belief that there is a power or powers outside you greater than the power within you.”

As I once heard a speaker say, “The magic is in YOU!” As James Allen tells us, once we realize that we can create our circumstances, then, and only then, are we truly the master of our life and our destiny.

Regardless of your particular spiritual beliefs, you may find these words from the Gospel of John very enlightening, “He that believeth in me, the works that I do, shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.” That would indicate to me that we are already “endowed” with the power to do amazing things—far more amazing than most of us will ever attempt—if we’d only understand and BELIEVE that the power is within, not without.

And that’s worth thinking about.

I’ve watched the movie Chicken Run at least a half-dozen times. Just beneath the surface of its simplistic look and story line lie a number of wonderful messages told through the eyes of a bunch of Claymation chickens trying to break out of their chicken-wire world to escape their fate at the chopping block. Their freedom leader, a feisty little hen named Ginger, comments profoundly in one scene: “the fences are all in your mind.” She reminds her fellow chickens (and us), that a bigger obstacle than the physical fences they’re surrounded by are the mental fences that hold them captive.

It’s been a good reminder for me on those occasions when I’ve been dealing my own mental fences…those created by self-doubt, uncertainty, fear. Can you relate? Where have you fenced yourself in mentally in recent days or weeks? Perhaps your mental fence is procrastination, a deadening habit that keeps you stuck. Maybe yours, like mine, is related to self-doubt, and the on-going internal noise it produces that keeps you immobilized. Perhaps yours is the belief that you don’t deserve success, so you sabotage yourself to avoid having to find out how successful you could be. There are a million variations of the theme, but the result is still the same: we stay stuck like the chickens in the movie.

One of the key questions is: “How do I limit myself and how can I stop?” Those limitations are never external. They always live inside us. The antidote to being trapped by our mental fences is to create a compelling enough vision that, like Ginger and her flock of chicken friends, we’re willing to resort to amazing measures to break out. The formula:

VISION + CONSISTENT ACTION = FREEDOM!

I challenge you to take some bold, even outrageous steps to break free of your mental fences. If it’s procrastination, declare a “freedom day” and take action on everything you’ve been putting off: from cleaning your office to making phone calls or responding to emails you’ve avoided.

If it’s self-doubt, sit down and write out everything you value and why it’s important. Then challenge yourself to eliminate anything that doesn’t absolutely reflect your values, or add something that is a profound statement of who you are.

FREEDOM IS JUST THE OTHER SIDE OF ACTION.

Recognize that your mental fences can only keep you stuck as long as you’re looking at them. They can only contain you as long as you’re not taking actions consistent with your vision. Go ahead, take the action you’ve avoided and leap into a future filled with possibilities. And remember, the fences are all in your mind!

We find ourselves in an atypical predicament. This dilemma is what I call a “national defining moment.” It means everyone must step up and claim their courage to confront an elusive problem called “uncertainty.” How do we unite to find the courage to step up when society, much less our parents, do not prepare or teach us about the virtue of courage?

After thirteen years of researching the actions of courage, I extracted several common themes, along with the twelve behaviors of courage. One theme was the notion of sacrificing or choosing to take an immediate hit to achieve a long-range goal. Courageous people choose to forgo immediate satisfaction by taking risks and hurdling obstacles. They identify, claim, and apply the original definition of courage, meaning “heart and spirit.” In other words, when a situation requires them to “step up” and display their authenticity, they do!

The movie “The Legend of Bagger Vance” was about a post-WWI golfer and a mysterious caddie. Set in Georgia, the dispirited Savannah folks decide a tournament will boost their war-torn morale. But, they fancied a southern pro to represent them. A traumatized golfer with flashbacks reluctantly commits to play in the tournament. In the middle of the night, he uncovers his abandoned and dusty clubs to hit golf balls in his backyard. While he chops away at the ball, out of nowhere, a mysterious man with suitcase in hand walks out from the countryside. With clever indifference, the stranger discreetly starts to coach the frustrated hacker.

Bagger Vance is the inexplicably wise caddie that teaches the troubled golfer how to reach deep inside and find his “authentic swing.” The caddie tells the conflicted golfer: “This is the authentic swing you were born with—the one you came into this world with—the authentic swing is all that you are! You’re just caught up with life’s ‘ought’s and should’s’.” The underlying message is not a new one. The heart’s message is about having the courage to examine self rather than remain self-righteous.
Uncertainty is an inevitable condition throughout life. We are in a time of second-guessing ourselves, reacting with knee-jerk reactions. Courage comes into play when you’re reflective. The essence of courage is a spiritual energy from the heart that in defining moments motivates a person to take action. Courage is much more complex than spontaneous reactions to traumatic events. Using courage as an ally means bundling a combination of courageous actions such as continually learning, persisting to be mindful of defining moments, and being 100% accountable for choices. Oftentimes, missed opportunities will never be seen again.

Without the development of courage, other virtues such as grace and humility will struggle to find their place. Courage is the umbrella to all the other virtues. Frankly, I am unwilling to let anyone else design my life!

Inspired by a recent New Yorker article by Malcolm Gladwell entitled “How David Beats Goliath”, executive coach Scott Eblin (scotteblin.com) developed three success rules of underdogs that can help leaders facing long odds.

Great real. Underdogs have a much better chance of winning when they honestly self-assess their strengths and weakness in the situation. When Harvard scholar Ivan Arregun-Toft broke down his 200 year study of war into 50-year increments, he observed that underdogs have been winning at a high rate in the past 100 years. Why? Because they better understood their weakness and adopted insurgency strategies against their much larger and better equipped opponents.

Go where theyr’e not. In their book Blue Ocean Strategy (Harvard Business School Press, 2005) W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne offer an underdogs handbook for succeeding by going where the competition isn’t. Rather than compete in red oceans (think of sharks fighting for the same food), Kim and Mauborgne recommend creating “blue ocean” opportunities. Examples include NetJets (fractional jet ownership) and Cirque du Soleil (the circus reinvented for kids and adults).

Get over it. Underdogs are innovators. They question the assumption of the powers-that-be-Goliaths. That can be an uncomfortable position to be in when Goliath starts pushing back. The cultural resistance to change can be exceedingly strong. Successful underdogs get over the need to be accepted by the keepers of the conventional wisdom. – www.salesforcexp.com

Your incentive is to create opportunities to demonstrate your uniqueness. It seems that nobody is a pessimist. The only labels that come close are “realists” or “cautious optimists” which are both really still pessimists. It is okay but your motivation should be to not behold only weeds in your garden but too look for areas ripe for planting and sprouts. Recognize that in this time of challenge that challenge is just an opportunity to sharpen your business tools. Seek out and ask experts, family and friends because they see your garden from more angels than you do helping you find success.

Looking toward to the future we link to the past. Today we learn that our parents and grandparents were smart to not place so much value in “things” nor to consider their home’s equity an ATM machine.  Assisting them to buy expensive cars and vacations that many millionaires experiences. We also learn that back during the recession of the 80’s/90’s many thought that it was the worst recession they had ever experienced.  It seemed that the Recession was never going to end but it did with a grand rebound.  We will experience a rebound again soon one day although a bit different,  it will be a full recovery.

In 2007, companies realized the benefits of incentives to their bottom line. What was working then to demonstrate appreciation and motivate employees is no different than what will help make a difference to  your business today. Customers and employees will always look for the answer to their “what’s in it for me” question. 

Earlier research in 2007 by GfK interviewed 1,121 corporate development executives. The executives spent $32.7 billion on merchandise incentives and $13.4 billion on incentive travel in 2006. Their action came from increase sales and production year after year.

If you want to retain your business relationships, you must demonstrate your appreciation and stimulate your sales teams. Focus on what you can control, your willingness to work each day to retain and build your business.

The most recognizable symbols of Ancient Egypt – the mummy and the pyramid – were elaborate attempts at self-preservation. The Egyptian pharaohs believed their spirits would remain inside their bodies after death to embark on a journey into the afterlife. On account of this belief, the pharaohs spared no expense to ensure their bodies would transition securely and comfortably into the hereafter. It was not uncommon for a pharaoh to begin drawing up plans for his pyramid as the first order of business after ascending to the throne.

Generations of Egyptians were forced into decades of backbreaking labor to build pyramids so that the deceased body of one pharaoh would be pampered in the afterlife. To construct a pyramid, stones averaging 2.5 tons had to be hewn out of rock quarries by laborers with primitive tools, hauled across the desert, and carried up ramps to be set into place. Archeologists estimate the Pyramids at Giza took between 20,000 and 30,000 workers about 80 years to build!

The primary purpose of the extravagant pyramids was to protect the pharaoh’s body, which itself was mummified for maximum preservation. A team of embalmers spent 70 days performing a variety of activities to prepare a pharaoh’s body for burial. When they had finally finished, the mummy was laid to rest in an ornate coffin and placed inside of the pyramid.

The pharaohs exhausted staggering amounts of their kingdom’s wealth and work force to preserve themselves. The exorbitant expenditures left many Egyptians in poverty and robbed the economy of essential funds. By frittering away national resources on self-preservation, the pharaohs likely accelerated the deterioration of their mighty kingdom.

The Me-First Mentality

As evidenced by the ancient Egyptians, leaders have prioritized self-preservation for thousands of years. Regrettably, self-preservation runs contrary to the true nature of leadership, which involves serving constituents. By operating with a me-first mentality, leaders deprive and exploit those they lead instead of equipping and inspiring them. In the process, they provoke resentment, lose respect, and accomplish little.

Although self-preservation sabotages leadership, throughout history men and women in authority have been preoccupied with protecting their position and status. What drives leaders to be so inwardly focused?

Root Causes of a Self-Preserving Leader

1) They Fear Change

Change can be viewed as a threat or an opportunity. Either way, it’s inevitable. A self-preserving leader dreads change and erects barriers to it whenever possible. After change proves to be unavoidable, the self-preserving leader is jostled has trouble coping with new realities.

2) They Stop Growing

Leaders who stop growing eventually start clinging to position instead of merit. These leaders rely on experience and seniority to compensate for their decline in knowledge and ability. The lure of self-preservation sucks them into the narrow confines of their comfort zones, and, as a consequence, they dodge assignments that require learning new skills or breaking with the usual routine.

3) They Lose Self-Belief

Insecure leaders place others at arm’s length and guard their turf. Having lost self-belief, they fear being exposed as incompetent. These sorts of people live with a tremendous sense of vulnerability. For this reason, they respond poorly to failure, seeing it as an indictment of their ineptitude rather than a learning experience.

In Conclusion

Whatever the source, self-preservation causes leaders foolishly to expend their energies and influence fortifying their own position. In doing so, they malnourish the persons they should be serving. By neglecting the effectiveness of their people, self-preserving leaders indirectly minimize the extent of their own influence.

Questions That Sustain Your Leadership

“Judge a person by their questions, rather than their answers.”
~ Voltaire

The willingness to ask questions coupled with the discipline to seek out answers separates leaders from followers. Influencers question assumptions, inquire about the environment around them, and probe into the future. They have an insatiable appetite to learn, and they convert their knowledge to action at light speed.

The Value of Questions

While leaders constantly investigate their surroundings, the most important questions they ask are the ones they pose to themselves. By routinely questioning their goals, motives, and purpose leaders renew their self-identity along with their sense of perspective. Consider the following benefits of examining yourself as a leader.

1) Quality Questions Create a Quality Life

You only get answers to the questions you ask. If you won’t dare to wrestle with the tough dilemmas in life, then you’ll live small.

2) Focused Questions Stimulates Creative Thinking

A well-considered question penetrates to the heart of the matter and triggers new ideas and insights.

3) Honest Questions Lead to Solid Convictions.

Inquisitiveness clarifies morals and beliefs. Values are shaped when you force yourself to be truthful in answering tough questions about where you stand on key issues.

4) Correct Questions Help Us Find Ourselves and Our Mission.

Tackling life’s biggest questions brings direction and meaning to life’s journey. Bob Buford captures this thought in his book, The Second Half.

What is your passion? What have you achieved? What have you done uncommonly well? How are you wired? Where do you belong? What are the ‘shoulds’ that have trailed you during the first half? These and other questions like them will direct you toward the self your heart longs for; they will help you discover the task for which you were especially made. Throughout your years in leadership, if you know the right questions then you will ultimately gain the right answers.

Questions I Ask Myself as a Leader

1) Am I Investing in Myself?

This question probes your commitment to personal growth. An empty glass won’t refresh anyone. Before you can influence others, you need to contain something worth offering to others.

Don’t be content to stockpile knowledge. Once you’ve ascertained a new insight or developed a skill, pass on what you’ve discovered. A learner builds reservoir of learning, whereas a leader becomes a river of learning for others.

2) Am I Genuinely Interested In Others?

This question delves into motives. As J.P. Morgan cynically observed, “A man always has two reasons for doing anything – a good reason and the real reason.” Since leaders are inclined to figure out situations before anyone else, they have capacity to take advantage of others. For this reason, it’s essential to regularly question your motives. There’s a fine line between manipulation and motivation. The former moves people for personal benefit, while the latter moves people for mutual gain.

3) Am I Doing What I Love and Loving What I Do?

This question determines passion. You will never find your passion doing work you despise. If you go to work only to fulfill processes and functions then you’re in jeopardy of losing your humanity and turning into a machine. “Find your passion and follow it,” is all the career advice you’ll ever need. Passion gives you the edge by endowing you with more energy than others have.

4) Am I Taking Others to a Higher Level?

This question has to do with mission. Regardless of your industry, as a leader, you’re in the people development business. Fulfilling your mission depends upon lifting the performance of those you lead. As Zig Ziglar says, “You can get everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” By adding value to those you lead, you’re investing in men and women with the potential to multiply your influence exponentially.

5) Am I Taking Care of Today?

How you treat today speaks volumes about your likelihood of success. In fact, if I spent one day observing your priorities, behaviors, and interactions with people, then, with about 90% accuracy, I could let you know your leadership potential. Why would I be so certain in my judgment? Because I’ve learned that the secret of your success is determined by your daily agenda.

Conclusion

The great artist, Pablo Picasso, once remarked, “Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.” I tend to agree, and I think Picasso’s observation carries truth for leaders as well. Regardless of your technical skill or relational charm, you’ll be inhibited as a leader until you learn the art of asking questions. Knowing how has merit, but influencers will always be the men and women who understand why.

Our true rewards in life will depend on the quality and amount of contribution we make. From the Scriptures to science, psychology and business, the documentation is the same. “As we sow, we reap.” Life is an unfailing boomerang. What we throw out will come back full circle.

The way we can build self-reliance is to recognize the number of alternative choices we have in a free society. And for every choice we make, there is a consequence or reward of that decision that we must acknowledge as our responsibility. God’s Law of Cause and Effect is forever the ruler.

During debriefing interviews, returning POWs from the wars in which we have fought during the past century said that what they missed most of all was their freedom of choice. There are two primary choices in our lives: to accept conditions as they exist or to accept the responsibility for changing them.

To attain emotional security, each of us must learn to develop two critical capabilities: the ability to live with uncertainty, and the ability to delay immediate gratification in favor of long-range goals. Losers let life happen to them. Winners make it happen for themselves and others. Losers engage in pleasurable activities, with no purpose or result in mind. Losers try to escape from their fears and drudgery with activities that are tension-relieving. Winners are motivated by their desires toward activities that are goal-achieving.

A number of research studies during the past decade indicate that the happiest, most well-adjusted individuals are those who believe they have a strong measure of control over their lives. They choose more appropriate responses to what occurs and they stand up to inevitable changes and daily setbacks with less apprehension. They learn from their past mistakes, rather than reinforce or repeat them. They spend time taking action in the present, rather than fearing what might happen in the future.

To be self-reliant adults, we need to set some guidelines:

Be different, if it means higher personal and professional standards.

Be different, if it means being more gracious and considerate to others.

Be different, if it means being cleaner, neater and better groomed than the group.

Be different, if it means putting more time and effort into all you do.

And be different, if it means taking the calculated risk. The greatest risk in life is to wait for and depend upon others for your own security. The greatest security is to plan and act, and take the risk that will ultimately ensure your personal freedom and independence.

Seeds of Family Leadership: Empowering Others

The world needs role models, instead of critics.

Others know when you have their best interests at heart.

You are truly successful when you can extend a strong hand to someone who is reaching out or just trying to hang on.

Come through for others, and they will come through for you.

People who seek attention need all the help they can get.

You know you’re a success when people tell you, “I like me best when I’m with you.”

If we succeed without sacrifice, it’s because someone sacrificed for us.

Real power comes by empowering others!

Promises should not be given lightly unless you want them lightly received.

If I help you win, then I win too!