October 2014

Breathe2Grow

You probably answer "busy" when asked that all too familiar question; "how is work going?"

It's the most common response to the question regularly asked by friends, family, and associates. So much so, your reply just spills out before you even know it.

Less of us are in the work force, yet more work is being required - or that's at least how it seems. Add in the ever present smart phones and the needs our co-workers, bosses, and clients have for immediate information and you have a recipe for some extremely busy days.

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An experienced palate will note the hint of looming deadlines.

Here's the thing --- busyness doesn't equal business.

Examine4Change

You can scurry from task to task - even cross off the plentiful items on your "To Do" list - but that doesn't mean you are successfully navigating your day or the priorities that come with genuine business. Perhaps you've heard me discuss the tyranny of the urgent. Maybe you've paid big bucks for time management classes or systems. Sometimes you could be in servitude to your email inbox.

Those are the very things that keep us busy. They aren't necessarily the things of business.

It's time to focus our efforts on the real facets that make others want to do business with us, the genuine connection that builds lasting relationships.

Last month I had some unusual feelings about how things were going with a few of my key clients. Instead of firing off a series of emails or clicking through my ever-present "To Do" list, I decided to specifically reach out to each of them, meet them where they were, and ask how they thought things were going. Getting honest feedback isn't always fun, but it is a great way to see how you are doing and determine how you can get better.

So get busy with the important part of business.