Keep It Up.

3rd February 2011

Over the Christmas break two or three of my clients decided that it wasn’t worth meeting with me, as they felt there wouldn’t be much going on over that period. As a result of that it has been perhaps 6 or 7 weeks since we last got together, and it has been a real eye-opener as to how quickly things have started to drift.

Monetary controls, such as cash flow forecasts, lead generation numbers, average sales, and other such key performance indicators have lapsed, systems and procedures have started to be ignored, and the business owners themselves have slipped back into old habits of doing things, rather than delegating to others.

For me, this simply bears out the importance of ongoing support and coaching. It is all very well taking the initial steps towards changing the way you manage your money, your time and your team, but to make meaningful and permanent change you need to keep pushing it forward until it becomes the norm. Bearing in mind that there are nearly always some (or all) of your staff who are resistant to change, unless you keep up the relentless drive to make changes, they will quickly spot any weaknesses or diminished desire, and will allow things to go back to the bad old days, because it suits them. It also re-enforces their beliefs that if they hold out for long enough they will be able to get back to the “easy life” they had before.

So this is where the coaching comes in. I do not allow people to drift or take the easy path. If you have someone holding you accountable, and acting as a conscience on a regular basis, you are far more likely to make the changes you need, and stick to them.

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