What is your leadership mindset?

What attitudes, beliefs, and expectations do you hold that act as the foundation of who you are, how you lead, and the ways in which you interact with your team?

Ages ago, when I was in school, we celebrated presidential birthdays separately…February 12 for Abraham Lincoln and February 22 for George Washington.

Today, Lincoln’s birthday, is a great day to look at some of his wisdom. Where does his mindset align with yours?

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.”

When you see yourself as the master of your fate and the captain of your own destiny, you are much more likely to get the results you are aiming for.

“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”

Clarity about what you believe and commitment to living by that belief are critical components to leadership success. It might take some time to figure out where you stand, but once you know, stand firm.

We can succeed only by concert. It is not, ‘Can any of us imagine better,’ but, ‘Can we all do better?’

Successful leaders understand that they are never acting alone. Being able to engage others in the cause and in pursuit of the goal moves everyone closer to success.

“The only difference between stepping stones and stumbling blocks is the way we address the rocks cast into our path.”

How do you handle the barriers you encounter on the way to your goal? Good leaders help their team to turn adversity into opportunity. Find the way over, under, around or through the stumbling blocks you encounter along the way.

 “Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.”

Setting priorities and keeping the big picture in mind is something that sets successful leaders – and successful businesses – apart from those that are just “good enough.” Are you willing to wait for what is most important to you and your business?

Lincoln faced leadership challenges greater than most of us can even imagine. His mindset in addressing those challenges was a key factor in his success.

I’m challenging myself to do more thinking like Lincoln to improve my leadership mindset. How about you?

Go forth and do great things,

Martha & Chris

Can we have a very practical talk today, you and I?

Because this very practical conversation could save your year…or make your business easier…or perhaps more profitable…or send you on that vacation without a call or four from the business.

We’re at the end of January.  By now you should have a pretty good handle on your 2019 financials…of course, the basics like how much you made (gross revenue) and how much you kept (net profit).

But what about all those numbers in between?

Do you know what they are telling you?

When B Sweet Coffee  looked at their numbers…all their numbers…they were stunned.  Then they were scared.

In their heads, B Sweet believed their canned coffee product cost $1.40/per can to make.  They wholesaled it for $1.77.  It appeared they were making a little money on every sale, at least at the gross profit level.

But that belied the financial pressure they were feeling.  They were stressed and stretched and didn’t have a handle on why.

The problem was those numbers were the ones in their heads. 

When they were forced to sit down and really calculate the canned coffee cost, the real number was $1.83.

They were losing $.06/per can…and that’s before all their expenses were considered.

Now your financial situation is certainly different than B Sweet.  We hope it’s better or even much better.

But have you examined ALL YOUR NUMBERS to see if you could put more to the bottom line without selling more?

Have you doodled to determine if your selling price is properly calculated based on the costs to deliver your product, program or service?

When was the last time you checked out your recurring expenses to make sure you still require the software or support?

If you make one pledge to yourself in 2020, please integrate a monthly, quarterly and yearly analysis of your financials.  Then make the necessary adjustments.

If decoding your financials isn’t one of your special skills, grab your CPA and ask for their analysis and input.

Whatever you do, just don’t execute 2020 without the informed guidance of your financial numbers.

You might find 2020 is the year you make more without working any harder…you know…easier, simpler and more profitable.

Go forth and do great things,

Martha Hanlon and Chris Williams