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Greetings!
For the past six months, our newsletters have focused the first six steps to small business success. This month focuses on the final step, the one that brings it all together - building accountability into your life and your business. Because although the last six newsletters help define what you need to do to be more successful in business, this one is about making sure you actually do it. As you go through this newsletter, spend a little time to look at your own situation, both personal and professional, to determine how accountable you are to fulfilling your commitments. |
Video Clip of the Month
In 1980, a group of 20 young college hockey players went up against what was considered to be the greatest hockey team on ice - the USSR Olympic Hockey Team. And to the shock of a nation, they WON! The story behind the scenes of the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Team isn't one of love and encouragement. It's a story of a coach who shared a vision with a group of young players and gained their commitment to doing whatever it took to win. And it's a story of how that coach held them accountable each and every step of the way to accomplish what no one believed they could. In the trailer for "Miracle", you get a small taste of what it means to have someone hold you accountable for your commitments. Watch the video.
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Find an Accountability Partner
By JJ Reich
 The "great" people and companies in the world find a way to do what the need to do, but don't want to do, to become who they want to be. Nearly every one of those that truly become great have an accountability partner to help them focus on the goal - the future they are trying to achieve. In sports, we call them coaches. In school, we call them teachers. Some of us have family (parents or maybe a spouse) and friends that hold us accountable to become who we want to be without becoming subjectively attached to the outcome. In recent years, the advent of the personal, executive, and business coaching industry has given us even more options. Whatever it takes - find someone who will stand in your future and believe in you even when you lose faith in yourself -
someone who can make you do the things you know you should do, but don't want to do, so you can become the person who you dream of becoming.
Why? You ask.
Why do I need an
accountability partner to be successful?
Well to be honest with
you, you need one because you are human. Because when push comes to
shove, you, like me, and like the other six billion people on this
earth will usually find reasons (excuses) for not doing the things we
know we should do, in order to reach the heights that we aspire to
reach and to be the person we know we could be.
We are creatures that like
to see immediate, visual results for our actions. And we get
frustrated when results are not tied directly in space and time to
our actions. Unfortunately, great results, like our long-term goals,
our worthy dreams and aspirations, are not immediately, clearly
visible from our day-to-day actions. They take time - they take
long-term commitment to do them, even when you don't see results, so
that some day you will.
Creating a vision, having
goals, building plans, and being disciplined in our focus is all good
stuff - but if we never actually do the work we need to do to
accomplish what we want to accomplish, it's all for naught. The
plans, the vision, the goals, are all just an exercise in futility.
Click on the link to read the Full Article
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This Month's Book Summary
What Got You Here Won't Get You There
by Marshall Goldsmith
 In What Got You Here Won't Get You There, Marshall Goldsmith, a
world renown executive coach, discusses how many very successful people hit a
wall, that they cannot neither get over and / or around - by themselves. It isn't always because they can't solve their problems, it is often because they can't see their problems. Throughout the book, Goldsmith discusses the most common problems that face even the most
successful executives and how to overcome them.
As it turns out, quite often, the skills and talents that enable
people to move up the corporate ladder are not always the same skills
and talents that enable them to succeed at the top of the
organizational chart. Strong operational, "make it happen at all
costs" mindsets, that work great at lower rungs of the ladder
usually alienate and isolate leaders from their people. It's no surprise that Marshall Goldsmith discusses
this reality and how he has helped many Senior Executives overcome
the own weaknesses in these areas to become valuable contributing
members of the senior staff in countless large firms. This book is both simple and powerful. It is a great read for anyone who has been successful in the past, but seems to be struggling to break though to the next level. To read the entire summary of the What Got You Here Won't Get You There, click here.
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Tip of the Month
Get an Accountability Partner - TODAY!
Who holds you accountable to doing what you've committed to do? If you are like most people, you don't have anyone. Instead, you hold yourself accountable to doing the things you know you should do, but really don't like doing. The big question is "How's that working for you?"
Be honest with yourself. Are you where you thought you would be at this point in your life? In your business?
If it isn't working as well as you would like it to, try something new. Get yourself an accountability partner, today. Make it someone
that you trust. Someone that will not take things personally and
will not get emotional when they tell you something very tough for
you to hear. Someone that you feel comfortable talking to and
telling them all your foibles - and errors. Someone that won't
judge you - only challenge the factual side of things, making you
look at whether you really did the things that you said you were
going to do. And of course make sure it's someone that knows you
well enough to call you out, when you are trying to BS your way out
of a situation.
If
you are interested in sitting down with JJ or Don to find out how we can help, please call us
toll-free at 888-439-6843.
We would be happy to help you find an accountability partnership
that works best for you.
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SPOTLIGHT
on
Treehouse Flowers and Gifts
Established in 1963, Treehouse Flowers is a tradition in the town of Warminster and the surrounding communities. As a family owned and operated florist, Treehouse believes that their key to success is building lifelong clients and serving their every flower and gifting needs. In fact, the owner of Treehouse Flowers, Marie Richey Baraldi, and her whole team are available to serve your every floral need. From holidays to weddings, from birth announcements to funeral arrangements, or just to say "I Love You", you can be assured that the people in your life will know how much you care.
Mission Statement
Tree House Flowers and Gifts provides unique floral, plant, and
designer gifts to our friends, family, and clients in the areas
surrounding our store
to help them convey expressions of emotion
and feelings of well-being to those they care most about.
Vision
A lifetime floral experience
that shares hope, love, education, companionship, caring and gifts
with people of all ages - bringing together families and friends.
So, if you have the desire to share deep feelings with those who matter most to you, or just brighter up your own home with a bouquet of fresh flowers, stop in and see Marie or any of here staff, call them at 215-672-3050, or visit their website, www.TreehouseFlowers.com.
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