7 Proven Habits That Can Increase Your Business Productivity

#Business

Being an entrepreneur is one of the most exciting careers you can choose, but it can challenge you to the core; professionally and personally. I've set up a business, and I know the challenges you have to face.

In today’s post, I’m going to share with you a million Dollar secret you can use in growing your business. If you really want to learn something new today that can help your business to grow, then just sit back and continue to read this revealing and educative post.

What many business owners don’t realize is that, by following the principles used by highly successful entrepreneurs to strengthen their character, they can vastly improve the quality of their lives and greatly increase their chances of reaching their goals. I know these methods work.

Many successful entrepreneurs have used the seven habits as a compass to guide them through these challenges they faced and position their company for years of future growth. These proven habits are as following:

HABIT #1: PROACTIVITY

Many people tend to take on projects only when the condition seem positive and favourable. They spend a lot of time worrying about or reacting to circumstances over which they don’t have control, such as needing to work with difficult and wrong people.

An effective entrepreneur will embark on something even if the conditions are unfavourable and he is swimming upstream. He’ll find reason why a project will work and ways he can make it work. If you’re planning to lead an entrepreneurial life, you must push yourself to have this attitude in even the most trying of circumstances.

A caveat: Proactivity is essential for entrepreneur, but you shouldn't take it to extreme. Entrepreneurs are likely to be action oriented, and many tend to rush into decision without assessing the cash-flow needs of his business.

HABIT #2: BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND

A company’s culture is laid out in the initial stages of its growth, so it’s important to start with a very clear personal mission, its purpose, a vision, and value. Creating a personal mission statement will help you begin on a best footing. Here is a simple way to devise such statement.

Imagine you have three years left to live. Then, picture yourself at your funeral. What would you like your family, friends, associate at work, and members of the community to say when they deliver their eulogies?

Now, list your major roles in your life. They might be for instance, husband/wife, father/mother, son/daughter, brother/sister, and long-distance runner. For each role, think about the one or two major lifetime goals you have in that area. Develop a brief mission statement, describing your life’s purpose that incorporates these goals.

For instance, your goal, if you’re an entrepreneur might be to create a well-run company that generate $100 million in annual revenue and is actively involved in making your community a better place through charitable programme. Putting together your mission statement will help you stay focus and say no to activities that wouldn't help you to stick with your long-term priorities.

HABIT #3: PUT FIRST THING FIRST

Many entrepreneurs who use this system falter when it comes to adhering to their goal daily. They are seduced by events and put secondly things first. As a result, they lose control of their own direction.

To achieve the major inner peace that comes with practicing the seven habits faithfully, you must learn to say If you've been honest with yourself in recording your life’s goals in your mission statement, you’ll have a burning inner desire to say This should make you to turn down activities that don’t represent a worthy use of your time.

People may be unhappy with you for not being available to them as you were before, but you haven’t entered a popularity contest. You’ll solidify people’s trust by showing them that you’re committed to high-leverage things and don’t fritter away your time on matters that don’t amount to a hill of beans.

But remember: Important, unanticipated things do arise –some of which may be more important than those plans or goals you originally set out to achieve. When that happens, it’s crucial to take a moment to think about your priorities in life and to have the courage to act on your principles.

HABIT #4: THINK WIN-WIN

It’s impossible to build a successful business without the support of others people. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs forget this. They try to get people to compete inside their own company. They think that this will enhance productivity, but what it really does is create conflicts and interdepartmental rivalry.

You have enough competition from other companies in the market place, so why bring in another form of competition into your work place? This is absolutely unnecessary.

Win-win performance agreement works well in entrepreneurial companies. These are individual, written or informal agreement that you sit down and discuss with each employee, detailing goals that will benefit him or her as well as company. The goals should be tailored to the employee’s skills and experience.

The employee’s obligation is to meet the goal set out together. Your part of the bargain is to do everything to help him or her achieve the desired results. At time, you both evaluate the result together. If the employees fulfilled the agreement, you reward them accordingly. When they know that they have chance to win on their own terms, productivity will improve.

HABIT #5: SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD

Many entrepreneurs like to play their cards close to their chest. Even if they have employees, they make all the important decisions. They are committed to their own point of view that, after a while, they’re willing to hire only “yes” people. Gradually, they establish a kiss-up culture. Thy run what amount to one-man operation.

The trouble is that employees can’t park their minds at door. They may pretend to like your ideas, but deep down they will not be loyal to you, if you don’t give them a psychological and financial stake in your business. Eventually, they will lose their interest and motivation.

You can produce much created wealth and feeling of empowerment, if you learn to share ideas, information, and power. That requires that you are willing to listen very carefully to what your employees say, even if it’s quite different from what you believe.

One way to begin is to ask your staff to propose solutions to the pressing business problems you've been struggling to solve on your own. It’s amazing how resourceful people can be if you pose the right questions.

HABIT #6: SYNERGIZE

To succeed in business, it’s important that you assemble a complementary staff. You should look for strength that compensate for your weakness. For example, I was forced to admit myself that I've great strengths in writing and teaching but that, when it comes to details of running a financial sound business, I need help.

I seriously need to have people around me who know how to manage costs, inventory, accounts receivables and cash flow.

When you’re an entrepreneur and coping constantly with crises, you may not set aside time to conduct extensive interview and analysis of people. As a result, you may hire people who don’t have competence or character you seek but have merely the appearance of these qualities.

People who are interdependent rather than independent are the ones that is generally found most fundamental to growing of company. Interdependent people are efficient because they know how to work well with others to get thing done.

Independent people may be willing to take on a lot of responsibilities, but may not know how to keep the team working smoothly.

HABIT #7 SHARPEN THE SAW

Even entrepreneur who leads well-balanced lives need to take the time to renew their energies periodically. Setting aside the time to exercise for three to six hours a week is not luxury. It’s essential. This amount to less than 30 minutes a day, which is small investment considering the tremendous health benefits you’ll reap over a lifetime.

It’s also important to seek renewal in the spiritual dimension. I like to do this through daily prayer and meditating on scripture. But don’t stop with meditation. Renew your intellect by cutting back on watching television and making out sometime every week to read good literature or write meaningful letters.

Also, take time to revitalize your life. Find ways to serve others, perhaps by being involved in a charity. These activities will help you maintain a good lifestyle that will create balanced success in long term.

At last, when you distill the seven habits, they are essentially about long-term thinking. It can be hard to pull back from the fray long enough to plan your life when confronting the daily pressures of running a business.

There will be times when you’re caught in the season of imbalance, but if you gradually incorporate better planning into your routine, the intense stress that is the by-product of working long hours and spending insufficient time with the people you love will arise far less frequently. You’ll find your business and your life, much more rewarding.

Source: Stephen Convey