Are You Prepared to Deliver Your Halftime Speech?

“Where there is no leadership the people fall, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”- Proverbs 11:14

It’s hard to believe five months of 2010 are already history. As we approach the halfway point in one of the most unique times ever to do business, what message will you deliver to your team, and yourself, in order to move forward and grow your business? More importantly, how will you deliver the message? Will it be emotionally charged with inspiration and excitement or doom and gloom about the economy? Will it be compelling or boring? A call to action or a call to siesta?
For many, continuing to cut expenses will surely be a point of discussion. Cutting fat is good as long as it isn’t muscle in disguise. The companies that are focusing on flexing their muscle and growing their businesses are doing just that. They are expanding their marketing efforts, implementing new ideas and processes to generate new results. Have you been focusing on growth and prosperity or downsizing and lack? Remember, what you focus on expands!!
As you prepare for your legendary halftime speech, here are five critical topics to guide your discussions and actions.
1. Got vision? I recently received a mailer from The Home Depot, which read, “Here’s to reducing cost, not vision.” Very powerful, isn’t it? Has your vision, or picture of the future, changed? If so, does everyone on your team know about it? Ponder this: 70% of team members cannot articulate their company’s vision. Vision statements are designed for continuous discussion and guidance, not for collecting dust on a shelf or sitting in a filing cabinet, which is where most of them end up. Companies and individuals without a clear vision get marginal results or do not stay in business long.
2. On a mission. Once you have a clear vision how will you rally the troops? Remind yourself and your team why you get out of bed every morning. It’s not to get your coffee or to get to work or to simply make money. People want and need a mission, or cause. They want to be of service to others and have it be meaningful. Help others see how your company’s mission is in alignment with theirs. This is accomplished by mentoring, the most important thing a leader can do right now. We all need mentoring to succeed, so get one and become one!
3. Goals. Goals. Goals. Do you have goals? If not, you should get some. If you have them, are you achieving your most important goals? If not, what do you need to do differently in the next few weeks/months to realign? Do your goals still make sense and are they realistic? Goals determine the daily actions you and your team will take and are mile markers on the highway to success(your vision). Don’t let anyone tell you differently! “If you don’t have a clear target, you are sure to miss it!”
4. Viva your values. So many companies and individuals don’t have a clear set of 3 to 5 core values that they operate by. Or they have them as a PR strategy, but they don’t practice them. Listen up! Values determine the behaviors of everyone in your organization and set the stage for your customer experience. Never underestimate the power of values. They stem from our core beliefs and truly define people and organizations. Belief drives behavior, behavior drives performance.
5. Thy WILL be done. The one thing that determines whether items 1 thru 4 have any meaning is Willpower. When you decide you are going be successful, your will takes over and sets your vision, mission, goals and values in motion. Our will determines whether we keep going or throw in the towel when faced with adversity. Willpower combined with clear direction and purposeful activity is the ultimate recipe for success. Vince Lombardi, the legendary football coach sums it up in one of my favorite quotes. “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.”
Remember, that despite the inevitable changes you’ve made during the past couple of years, your core business is still the same. You’re just doing things differently now. Get used to it. Different is the new normal. Embrace it and keep moving forward. Best of skill in delivering your Halftime speech!