Being a good solo business owner often means persuading or motivating people to accomplish tasks that you need to have done. Often, you just can't wait for folks to start a project on their own time frame. You need to have services and business execution happen quickly or you will lose money.
When you think about it, being a master motivator is not an option for anyone that sells products or services for a living. If you are a salesman, you by default, should be a good motivator so that your prospects will be "prodded" along down your purchase funnel.
Being a great motivator is also important in accomplishing the leverage you need in order to be successful at things like joint venture marketing, out-sourcing and affiliate selling. You must have the skill set that will allow you to "force" (not a good choice of words but it suggests more than just asking) prospects to join your email list, sign up for your web site, or purchase your products.
I'd like to introduce you to a little book I recently read. It's titled: 100 Ways to Motivate Others. Though a quick read, it gave me a number of good ideas on ways that I had never thought of to persuade those around me to listen and take action on my commands (suggestions). Here are just a few tidbits that I'll share to get you thinking about picking up a copy of the book and digging deeper. The co-authors are Steve Chandler and Scott Richardson.
Tidbit #1: Be the cause, not the effect. Rather than being acted upon, a great business owner will ask herself: "What do I want to have happen today?" While others watch events and happenings from the sidelines, a motivated person takes the lead and invites others to come along.
Tidbit #2: Do the one thing. What is the one thing? It's whatever you've set out to do right now. Often managers and business owners waste a lot of time and effort thinking about and dabbling in things that aren't receiving their full attention. Think how much more productive you would be if you could just focus on the moment without distraction and plow through your task until it was completed.
Tidbit #3: Do the worst first. We all have way more to do than we want. Sometimes we get so caught up in the enormity of our "to do" list that we take on the role of a deer caught in the headlights. We freeze and accomplish nothing. Try this: think of the one thing you're most likely to put off. Now go tackle that item first and give it 100% of your focus. Think how good you will feel when you're done! You will be motivated to push forward because no other task will be dreaded like the one you just put to bed.
Tidbit#4: Give up being right. Each of us tends to want those we work with to know that we are smart, qualified, and a good manager. Sometimes we begin to feel that whatever course or action we decide will be the right thing for the business - after all, we are smart and usually right about everything we choose. Our world today is the product of rapid change and innovative technology. Smart businesses must have the ability to adapt, flex, and turn on a dime. Such dynamics require that we all become leaders and risk-takers. You don't have to be right all the time - that's why you surround yourself with great thinkers and capable workers. They can have great ideas and inspired thoughts about your business - you don't have a monopoly on knowing which directions for your business are the very best.
Tidbit #5: Forget about failure. We often obsess over it and our employees fret about it. We should think about failure as just another outcome, not necessarily good or bad. What we do with that failure is the key to motivating others. A failure can become a stepping stone to greater future direction, new products, or systems that might not have been given a chance under our old working routine before the failure. Don't let your people feel bad about failing. Motivate them by leading down the new path - leaving fear and anxiety behind for good.
Tidbit #6: Stop Pushing. I particularly liked a quote by Dwight Eisenhower: "Pull the string, and it will follow you wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all." The analogy holds true in business relationships as well. Harness people's natural drive and inner energy toward mutual goals, theirs and yours. Don't oppose effort - just redirect it a little in order to accomplish what is needed.
Tidbit #7: Deliver the reward. The more you love others, the more they love you. Emmet Fox (philosopher) said: "If you could only love enough, you would be the most powerful person in the world." He's right! If you can figure out how to best reward your people for good performance, and deliver the reward now, you will have fewer fires to put out and you will lose fewer great employees. Most managers wait too long to deliver the reward - if they had delivered sooner, they would have avoided a loss or a bad situation. If workers know that you will reward them immediately, they will be more likely to stretch and give their all sooner.
There are many other great little thoughts in this book. I know you will be a better solo business owner if you digest the principles discussed. Even though you may not have employees that need to be motivated, you can still use the ideas in the book to motivate your associates, customers, vendors, suppliers, and even family members.
Pick up a copy of 100 Ways to Motivate Others today!
